Night Child
by hulettwyo
Summary: What if Spike hadn't burned in the Hellmouth?
1. Ch 1  Not Burning

Disclaimer: All BTVS and Angel characters, locations and dialog are the property of Joss Whedon.

Night Child

Chapter 1 – Not Burning

(Buffy POV)

He stands in a beam of sunlight with his hands outstretched and a look of determination on his beautiful face. I reach for his hand and twine my fingers with his. Our eyes meet and I see the love he has for me burning out of them. Flashes of memory play across my mind of every time he's professed his love for me and every time I shut him down or turned him away or tried to beat it out of him. Then my mind's eye sees him slumped on the sarcophagus in his crypt with his face bloody and bruised. One eye swollen completely shut, but the other telegraphing his love for me as clearly as if he had stood and shouted it.

I love him.

The full realization of my feelings hits me just as our joined hands burst into flame. I gasp and my eyes shine with unshed tears, but it's more from the depth of feeling than from the pain. I have to tell him. He has to know. I say clearly, "I love you."

"No you don't, but thanks for saying it."

Wait. What? He's arguing with me? Seriously? Now? I'm about to speak again when the cave rocks violently and our hands break apart, the blue flame that was surrounding them sputtering out. He shouts at me to go and I duck under the searing shaft of light blazing from his chest and start up the stairs when I'm knocked into the wall from the power of the voice that sounds in my head. "Save him."

Without thinking about what I'm doing, I reach behind me with my free hand and grasp the collar of his duster in a tight fist then pull with every ounce of Slayer strength I possess and sprint for the top of the stairs. I burst through the opening of the Hellmouth and drop to my knees on the dirt floor panting and gasping for air. I'm still clutching the duster in a white knuckle grip, but I'm too terrified to look behind me. I fully expect to see nothing but an ancient leather coat covered in vamp dust.

The ground shakes again almost knocking me over and I hear a small moan. I chance a look behind me and see him. He's actually there, lying on the floor unconscious. I smell burnt cloth and the distinctive odor of scorched Spike, but his face is unmarked. A large swath of his t-shirt is burned away where the talisman channeled the sunlight into the cave, but his alabaster skin is whole and smooth underneath. I trail my fingers gently over it, trying to convince myself that he's there and I'm not seeing things.

More shaking. And it brought a friend. A low rumbling. I feel the noise through my knees that are pressed into the dirt on the edge of the Hellmouth more than I hear it. The building is going to fall down on top of us. We have to get out of here. Now. I jump to my feet then bend down and twist my hands into the lapels of Spike's duster and jerk him to his feet. I throw him over my shoulder then awkwardly crouch down and scoop my Slayer weapon off the floor and straighten up trying to keep hold of Spike who keeps trying to slide off my shoulder. I wrap my arm around him in an iron grip and run for the exit. It's tough going, what with having to dodge falling building parts and carrying 160 pounds of dead weight. Pun intended.

I almost run directly out the front doors into the sunny California morning before I remember. I skid to a stop and lean against the wall with my mind racing and scan the school courtyard for some kind of cover. There isn't much. I see a white panel van parked about three blocks away with the back doors hanging open. I start to slide him off my shoulder so I can go get the van and bring it closer when another violent tremor rocks through the school. I can't leave him here. This building is coming down. Now.

I grasp Spike tighter, fill my lungs and sprint out the front doors, pounding for all I'm worth toward a van that seems to be miles away. After what feels like an eternity, I skid to a halt and sling Spike and the weapon into the van then jump in after him and slam the doors shut. The rumbling and shaking is getting worse. A lot worse. I scramble into the driver's seat and search frantically for the keys. I check the console, the visor and the dashboard before I notice the glint of something in the ignition. The keys. Geez! Think, Buffy!

The engine starts with a roar and I slam the van into drive, silently thanking the Powers that it's an automatic. I really don't think I could cope with trying to shift right now, especially since I'm probably the worst driver in the history of driving. I speed down the street trying to think of the fastest way out of this burg, barely slow down to make the corner and slam the pedal to the floor. The shaking seems to be lessening the further we get from the school. I ease up on the gas just a little and glance back at Spike. He's shifted and is pushed up against the wall with his face mashed into the metal. The weapon is next to him with the stake end thankfully pointed in the other direction. At least I didn't accidentally stake him with my horrible driving.

I pull over just past the edge of town and stop the van then turn to where Spike is sprawled on the floor. His eyelids are fluttering and he's mumbling something I can't make out then he starts flailing his arms like he's trying to fight something off. His eyes pop open just as he roars and vamps, kicking his legs straight out. The doors fly open with a bang and bright, warm sunlight streams into the van. He hisses and covers his face, scrambling to back out of the light but there's nowhere to go.

I jump over him headed for the doors when he grabs my arm and spins me to face him. He's stopped moving and is just sitting there staring down at the sunlight on his hand. He looks up at me and the sunlight glints off his fangs and sparkles in his amber eyes. We just stare at each other, blinking in the daylight when it hits me.

He's not burning.


	2. Ch 2 Mine

Chapter 2 – Mine

(Buffy POV)

"Buffy? What? How? What's goin' on? Where am I?" Spike sputters. His game face has receded and he squints and tries to shade his eyes from the bright light.

I move to the back of the van and partially close the doors. He's now in shadow, but a shaft of light beams along the wall next to him. He cautiously reaches his hand out and places it fully in the sunlight. Nothing happens. "I can feel the heat but it doesn't hurt. Am I dead? Are you dead? What kind of soddin' hell dimension is this?"

I laugh. "No, you aren't dead…. well deader and I'm not dead either…. this time. We just escaped Sunnydale after you killed the rest of the Turok-Han and closed the Hellmouth."

He nods faintly then closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths. Seeming steadier, he opens his eyes and glances around the van. He pauses at the weapon then looks down at the talisman resting against his bare chest and sees the blue sparks circling deep inside the stone. He quickly snatches it off and drops it to the van floor. He tilts his head as his face turns thoughtful and he carefully reaches his hand toward the sunlight again. His fingertips start to sizzle and smoke as soon as the light touches them and he quickly jerks his hand back.

I pick up the talisman and feel the power emanating from it. It feels like I'm standing next to a power station; that low buzz you feel in your gut and in your bones. I get the same feeling from the weapon, only stronger. I scoot closer to Spike and slide the chain over his head, laying the talisman softly against his chest then reach for his hand. Together our hands are bathed in sunlight with no sizzle or smoke.

"It's the talisman. It makes me impervious to sunlight!" He grins so wide I think his head is gonna split open. He slides to the back of the van and pushes the doors open then slowly steps out and stands fully in the sunlight. He turns his face up towards the sky and closes his eyes, a smile curving his mouth.

I step out beside him and gently take his hand, twining our fingers together. He opens his eyes and looks down at me. It's all there. Joy, confusion, wonder and worry, but most of all, I see his love. I smile up at him, "I love you." then put my finger to his lips as he starts to speak, "No arguing this time."

He smiles behind my finger then opens his mouth and nips at it with his teeth. "I was just gonna say it back, ya silly bint. I love you too."

He bends his head and his lips meet mine. He runs his tongue along my bottom lip and teases my mouth open as I twine my fingers in his hair and pull him closer. His hands slide down my back then he lifts me up and I wrap my legs around his waist and grind into him. He moans and starts to feather kisses along my jaw to my throat. He nips at the pulse point on my neck, making me shudder then moves lower, sucking blood to the surface.

Suddenly he stops and sets me back on my feet. I whimper at the loss of contact until he kisses me lightly and steps back. He removes his duster and spreads it on the floor of the van, carefully moving the weapon so there aren't any dangerous pointy bits in the area. Turning back to me he removes my jacket and lifts my shirt over my head. His hands cradle my breasts and his thumbs brush across the nipples teasing them to sharp peaks as I gasp and arch towards him. His eyes devour me as he turns me and pushes me back into the van. I lie back on his coat and lift my hips as he slides my pants slowly down my legs. He removes my shoes and pants then places a gentle kiss to the inside of my ankle. His kisses are like fire as they travel up my leg towards my core. He kisses and licks the folds around my slick opening and takes my hard bud into his mouth, sucking in sharply. My hips buck and my fingers tangle in his gel stiffened curls as I try to draw him even nearer. I gasp loudly and raise my hips as he slides one finger inside. His tongue is working faster as he slides another finger in then curls them and works me from the inside. I'm panting and thrusting against his face as he sucks my clit into his mouth and I break over the edge shaking and screaming his name.

He lazily licks my folds then raises his head, smiling. I pull him up my body by his hair and crush his mouth to mine. Our tongues twist and fight as I grasp the hem of his t-shirt and pull it over his head, getting it tangled in the talisman chain. He sits up on his heels and untangles the shirt then tosses it aside. I kneel in front of him and place my hands on his chest then lick slowly up his neck to his ear and nip gently on his earlobe. I lick along his jaw and nip at his collarbone eliciting a deep moan. My tongue moves to his nipple and I take it between my teeth and suckle it making him arch against me then I push him backwards until he's standing outside the van. Still kneeling, I move closer and reach for his belt buckle. I take his other nipple in my mouth as I slide his jeans down over his hips, freeing his massive erection. He backs up a step and quickly shucks his jeans and boots.

I gasp as I take in the sight of his creamy white skin shining in the sunlight then change position so I'm sitting on the floor of the van with my feet on the ground outside. I grasp his hips and pull him forward so his legs are straddling mine then lick slowly up his thigh and take his balls into my mouth. He growls and leans in grabbing the roof of the van to brace himself. I lick up his shaft and wrap my lips around the swollen head then slowly move on him twirling my tongue. I suck in my cheeks and he gasps and starts thrusting his hips, panting and growling low in his chest. I relax my throat to take more of him and massage his balls with one hand while the other trails down my stomach to my slick folds. I insert a finger, coating it with my juices and bring it back up to massage his tight hole. He moans and growls, "Buffy! Oh God!" Slowly I push in and my finger skates across a little bundle of nerves. I suck hard at the same time and he explodes with a roar.

His legs start to quiver as I finish cleaning him up. I lean back and look up. The only thing holding him up is his death grip on the roof of the van. I stand and unclench his fingers then wrap his arms around me and we fall back into the van. He lies next to me panting harshly while I trace lazy circles on his chest with my fingernail.

"Bloody hell, woman! You tryin' to kill me?" he growls after his breathing has slowed.

"What? Didn't you enjoy it? Sure sounded like you did." I smirk up at him. "Besides, I don't think Slayer blow jobs are on the list of things that will kill vampires."

"Hell yes, I enjoyed it. Bloody brilliant, it was!" I reach down and give his cock a little squeeze. He moans and rolls towards me. "In case I haven't mentioned it before, Slayer, you're one hell of a woman."

He wraps his arms around me and pulls me tight against his chest, whispering into my hair, "I love you so much. Are you sure this is real and I'm not just dreamin' it? I'm not gonna wake up in hell and find out I don't really have you, am I?"

I look up at him and take his head in my hands to place a gentle kiss on his lips. I look deep into his eyes and the words just start tumbling out. "I'm yours. This isn't a dream and you aren't in hell. I love you, Spike. I have since Glory beat you into hamburger, it just took me a really long time to realize it. You went through so much pain for me. I know I caused a lot of it and I'm sorry. You went and got your soul so you could be someone I could love and I do love you, but not because of that. You proved yourself to me long before, I just wouldn't let myself admit it. I was too worried about what my friends would think to hear what my heart was screaming at me. You're a good man and I'm proud to call you mine."

He blinks as tears overflow his eyes and he clutches me tight against his chest murmuring over and over, "Mine."


	3. Ch 3 It's a Crater

Chapter 3 – It's a Crater

(Spike POV)

I open my eyes slowly and blink several times in the bright light, feeling heat on my skin. All of my skin. Bloody hell, I'm lying starkers in a van bathed in bright sunlight! I jump to my feet outside the van and search around for shade for a few frantic seconds before it dawns on me that it doesn't hurt. I'm not on fire. The talisman I'm still wearing around my neck thumps heavily against my chest as I drop to my arse on the floor of the van. I look down at it as I lean against the wall then lift my arm, twisting my hand back and forth and marveling at how the light plays on my skin. It's been a long time since I've been in the sun. Well, without all the smoke and flames. Over a hundred years. There was that one time with the Gem of Amarra but I was too worried about killin' the Slayer to really enjoy the experience. The Slayer.

I turn and gaze at my sleeping Slayer. Mine. My Slayer. It still feels like a dream. Like I'm about to wake up to blinding agony in some hell dimension. It's what I deserve innit? All the horrible things I've done, all the people I've killed. Surely I haven't begun to balance the scales. Can I ever? I tried to convince her that night she thought she killed that girl. One dead girl doesn't erase all the people she's saved. She cried and screamed and beat my face in. She's right though. One dead girl is one too many. My scales will always be tipped in the direction of monster. Killer. Evil. No matter how many people I help.

Cor, I'm such a ponce. I'm actually brooding. Gah! I'm Soul Man Jr.! Angel would be proud. He spent a hundred years mopin' and broodin' about all the evil things he'd done but now he's fightin' the good fight and trying to make up for it. Helping the helpless, yeah? Still a broody bastard though.

Buffy sighs and rolls over.

Well, I don't have a hundred years to waste mopin' about. Did my crazy time in the basement of that soddin' school. Now I've got her. Gonna jump right past the broodin' to the helpin' and fightin' the good fight. Angel's the broody one. God, I can't wait to show him my Slayer! Maybe rub his face in it a bit, yeah? I got the girl; you got an evil law firm. Finally I come out on top. 'Bout bloody time.

The Slayer said I was a good man. She loves me. My Slayer loves me. I pinch my leg. Hard. Nope, not a dream.

I'm drawn out of my thoughts by something vibrating on the ground outside the van. It's Buffy's cell phone in the pocket of her pants. I slide it out of the pocket and flip it open. "Ello?"

"Buffy?"

"Nope. Spike."

"Spike! You're alive!"

I have to pull the phone away from my ear to save my hearing. Bleedin' Niblet and her squeals. "Yeah, I'm alive, well… as alive as I get, but now I'm deaf. Calm down, Bit. Let me wake your sis."

I gently shake Buffy awake and hand her the phone. She sits up and smiles sleepily at me as I sit down behind her and wrap her in my arms, leaning her against my chest. She presses the speaker button on the phone and holds it up so we both can hear.

"Dawn, it's Buffy. Where are you guys? Is everyone ok?"

"We just got to LA. Almost everyone is hurt, but I think we'll all make it. Anya's dead."

"Oh, Anya!" A few tears slide down Buffy's cheeks. I hold her a little tighter.

"Andrew said she went down fighting though. Saved his life. Where are you?"

"Just outside Sunnydale. Where are you going in LA? We could be there in a few hours."

"I called Angel. He said he can put us up at his hotel. He's promised to do whatever he can to help. How did you get out? We barely made it. Everything was collapsing right behind us. Sunnydale is completely gone. Nothing but a giant hole now."

Buffy shrugs. "I don't know. Slayer luck, I guess. I didn't really look behind me. I just kept driving until the ground stopped shaking. Spike killed the rest of the Turok-Han and closed the Hellmouth before I grabbed him and made a run for it. He has a surprise for you all too. Can't wait to show you."

"A surprise? What is it? You've got to tell me!" More squealing. Made the phone speaker cut out for a tick.

Buffy laughs, "Nope, you'll have to wait until we get there. I want everyone together. Tell everyone that we're both ok and we'll see you in a few hours."

"Ok." I could hear the pout through the phone. "See you in a while. Bye."

Buffy closes the phone and leans further back into me then turns her head and lightly licks my neck. Her hands rub up and down my thighs as she wiggles her arse against my crotch. "Think we have time?"

I growl and flip her onto her back, positioning myself between her legs. I can already smell the heady scent of her arousal as I tease her slit with the head of my cock and slowly slide into her. We both moan as I fill her completely. I feel like I'm finally home. I pull out almost all the way and slowly fill her again. She wraps her legs around my waist and grabs my arse, pulling me deeper. We rock together as her moans and pants start coming faster. I raise up to hook her legs over my shoulders then lean in and start pounding harder. She cries out and clasps my arms hard enough to bruise as she raises her hips to meet my thrusts. I turn my head, sliding into game face and sink my fangs into her leg. She screams and comes, her walls pulsating around my cock. I thrust once more and throw my head back, roaring my release.

I come back to myself slowly. I gently lick my bite to close it before I lift myself up and lower her legs so I can lie beside her. She rolls into me and starts placing gentle kisses on my forehead, cheeks and lips then murmurs, "Mmmm. My William the Bloody. All mine."


	4. Ch 4 What How What

Chapter 4 – What How What

(Spike POV)

God I hate driving in LA! I thought drivin' at night was bad, but here we are stuck in bloody rush hour traffic. Of course this soddin' van doesn't have air conditioning so it's hotter than the hinges of hell in here. What kind of git buys a vehicle in California without air conditioning? The heat doesn't bother me all that much, but Buffy looks right miserable sittin' in the passenger seat fannin' herself with a map of LA. There are beads of sweat dripping down her face and neck, soaking her shirt and making it mold to her breasts. Mmmm. I lick my lips. Maybe heat's not such a bad thing after all.

"Spike!"

I jerk my attention back to the road and slam on the brakes stopping just shy of hitting the truck in front of us. Luckily, the bloke behind us apparently doesn't have the type of distractions I'm dealing with and doesn't rear end us.

I smile at her, "Sorry, pet. Just admirin' the view, yeah?"

She grins back at me. "I'm flattered, but I'd rather not become part of the dashboard if you don't mind. Please keep your eyes on the road, Spike. The exit we want is the next one." She flutters her eyelashes at me and licks her lips. I swallow hard and try to concentrate on the road.

We finally pull up in front of Angel's hotel and I move into the back of the van and start digging around. Buffy giggles at me, "What are you doing, Spike?"

"Lookin' for somethin' to cover up with, pet. Sunlight plus vampire equals dusty, remember?"

She giggles louder and knocks on the windshield. "You've been driving in the sunlight for hours, remember?"

I look down at the talisman dangling from my neck and swinging with my movements then look up at her and smile sheepishly. "Force of habit, luv. Been avoiding sunlight for over a century. This is gonna take some gettin' used to."

She reaches out and takes my hand and we climb out of the sweltering van. The late afternoon sun is beating down as we pull open the hotel doors and step into a blessedly cool but totally empty lobby.

"'Ello! Anyone here?"

Dawn comes screeching down the stairs and practically tackles Buffy. She squeezes her tightly then backs her up and looks her over, tugging at her bloody shirt. "Are you ok, Buffy?"

Buffy smiles and pulls her shirt from Dawn's fingers, "I'm fine, Dawnie. Just got run through with a sword. I'll live."

Dawn smiles and turns toward me then launches herself at me with a squeal. We stumble backwards into a strong shaft of sunlight as she tries to squeeze the stuffing out of me. "Spike! You're ok!"

I chuckle, "Yeah, Bit. Told you I was on the phone. Glad I don't need to breathe, 'cause right now I couldn't."

She releases me and backs up, smiling shyly. "Sorry." She notices the sunlight shining on my face and suddenly screams and jerks me forward, her hands ghosting over my face to check for burns. "What? Why aren't you burnt? You're not even smoking! What's going on?"

"Ummm, surprise?" I say, holding up the talisman. "Apparently this makes me impervious to sunlight." I take it off and hand it to Buffy then hold my hand out to the light where it immediately starts smoking. Buffy puts the necklace over my head and the smoking stops. "Neat trick, yeah?"

By this time a crowd has gathered, the Scoobies looking a bit worse for wear and a bunch of banged up Slayers. Giles steps forward and peers at the talisman around my neck. "Buffy, isn't this the necklace Angel gave you? Where did he get it? Did he say?"

"No, the Great Forehead didn't explain it, Rupes. Where is the ponce, anyway?"

Willow speaks up, "I just spoke to him. He's on his way here, should be here any minute."

Just then a door in the corner of the lobby bangs open and Angel strides through closely followed by a bald black man, Watcher Jr. and some skinny little bird. Angel sees Buffy and rushes forward, crushing her to him then bends down to kiss her. I step up and grab his arm. "Oi! Get your paws off my Slayer, ya barmy git!"

"Spike!" He shakes me off and turns to face me. "What the hell? What do you mean, _y__our Slayer?_" He steps menacingly towards me, sliding into game face. The black man and the young Watcher fall in behind him, one to each side.

My growl echoes through the lobby as I close the distance and put my face right up to his. "She's mine, 'Gelus. Loves me, she does."

Buffy squeezes between us and plants a hand on each of our chests then pushes us apart. She wraps her arms around me and plants a quick kiss on my lips then says quietly. "I do, so much." She turns to stand with her back to my chest and glares at everyone in the room. I wrap my arms around her as I look around the room at all the faces staring open-mouthed at the two of us. Angel looks positively gobsmacked. Good. Serves the git right.

Buffy raises her chin and announces in a voice full of authority. "I love Spike. I have for a while now but I was worried about what you guys would think of me so I denied my feelings. I'm not gonna do that anymore. It's my life and I'll love who I want. I still want you guys to be my friends but I'm telling you right now, Spike is part of the Buffy package whether you like it or not." She looks around the room, making eye contact with every person in it then points at her face. "This is my resolve face. You've all seen it so you know I'm serious. I'm with Spike. Period."

The room is so quiet I could hear a pin drop three states away even without my vamp hearing. Everyone stands there just blinking at us and I can feel the fury rolling off my Grandsire like a tidal wave. Dawn is the first to break the tense silence as she rushes forward and hugs us both. "I'm so happy! This is awesome!" She adds quietly so only we can hear, "It's about damn time."

"Dawnie!" Buffy exclaims then smiles and nods, "Yeah, it is."

Harris walks over somewhat jerkily and stops in front of Buffy. "Knew it was gonna happen if we lived through this, Buffster." He nods his head at me. "You know how I've always felt about Captain Peroxide there."

Buffy's breath catches just a bit. "Felt?"

Xander smiles faintly, "Yeah. Felt. I don't really feel that way anymore, Buffy." He looks at me. "I'm not saying that we're gonna be best buds but…. you're not so bad." He swallows hard and looks down at his feet. "And if you love someone then you should be with them because you never know how long you'll have."

Buffy wraps him in a hug and I shake his hand, "Thanks, Xander. Sorry about your bird. She was a good woman."

"Yeah, she was." He turns away quickly, but not before I notice the glint of fresh tears in his eyes.

Willow runs up and grabs Buffy into a crushing hug then beams a smile at me. "I think it's great, the two of you together."

"Ta, Red. Means a lot."

Giles moves slowly forward and stops a few feet away. Buffy steps to meet him and looks up at him searchingly. "Giles, are you ok?"

He looks down at her then glances up at me, his eyes unreadable. "Dear Lord." Yep, there he goes polishin' the glasses. Balls. Why can't he just be happy for us and let it be? No, he's a Watcher to the bloody core. Vampire equals Evil. Even when I help save the soddin' world I'm still not good enough for his precious Slayer. Probably wishes that git principal had succeeded in dustin' me. And don't think I've forgotten your place in that plan, ya tweedy sod.

He replaces the glasses and lightly grasps Buffy's arms. "Buffy, are you sure this is what you want?"

Buffy moves to me again and puts her arm around my waist, gives me a little squeeze then stands in front of me to face Giles. "Yes. He's **who**, not **what**, I want. He's not a thing, Giles. He's a man. A good man." Apparently my dick loves hearing her call me a man because as soon as the words left her lips I got rock hard. Thankfully she was still standing in front of me.

Giles looks at the floor, seeming to gather himself, then steps toward us and extends his hand to me. Complete and utter surprise along with my hard distraction causes me to take a few ticks before I clasp his hand and shake it quickly. He leans in and says very Ripper-like, "You hurt her in any way…"

I finish for him, "Yeah, I'm staked. I get it. No worries, Watcher. I'll be good to her as long as she'll have me."

We all stand in silence for what seems like hours. Angel is still standing off to the side, glowering. His face is pinched and dark and his hands are bunched into fists. Buffy walks over to him and says low enough that only vampire hearing can pick it up, "I told you a while ago that he was in my heart, I just didn't realize then how far in. I don't expect you to be happy for us but I hope you can accept it. I love him, Angel." She leans up and gives him a peck on the cheek.

His hands relax a little as he tries to smile down at her. "I'll try, Buffy."

She backs up and looks over the group, "So, has everyone been introduced?"

Angel clenches his fists again then forces himself to relax before he turns and points at the black man. "This is Charles Gunn. Some of you already know Wesley Wyndam-Pryce and the lady is Winifred Burkle. We call her Fred. They all work with me at Wolfram and Hart."

Everyone starts shaking hands and hugging and the young Slayers are introduced around. In a few minutes the lobby looks like a strangely bloody and bruised cocktail party, well, minus the cocktails. The noise level is rising and people are breaking off into smaller groups when I realize that I almost forgot to show Angel my other surprise.

"Oi! Forehead! I've got 'nother surprise for you!" I step boldly towards the front doors where a large block of evening sun still shines through then stop just at the edge and turn to grin evilly at Angel. I hold up the talisman, "Thanks for the bauble." then jump squarely into the sunlight.

I thought he looked gobsmacked before but it's nothing to how he looks now. As I stand there bathed in the sun's rays and conspicuously not burning, he sputters and chokes and finally gets out, "What? How? What?"

"It's the talisman you gave to Buffy. Makes me impervious to sunlight. Might just be the nicest thing you ever did for me, even if you didn't mean to." He strides over and stops just at the edge of the light and I step back into the shadows, knowing what he wants. I take off the necklace and hand it to him. He slips it on and tentatively reaches for the light, but his fingers start to smoke as soon as the light touches them. "Hmmm, just works for me then? Let us have it back, Peaches. Wonder what else it keeps from harmin' me?" He reluctantly returns it to me and I put it back on. "So…. does anyone have a cross handy?"

Andrew steps up with a small silver cross in his hand. He tosses it at me and I catch it and almost immediately drop it, shaking my burnt fingers, "Ya bleedin' git! You could've just let me touch it!"

Buffy bends down and picks up the cross then hands it back to Andrew. She smirks at me then turns to the rest of the group. "So, I guess it doesn't work on crosses. Anybody got any holy water?"

"Oi! Don't you sods start throwin' holy water at me!"

Giles shakes his head, "Maybe we should do a bit of research before we subject Spike to any more testing. It's getting late. Why don't we have a bite to eat and pick this up in the morning? Angel, could we possibly have something delivered or are there are supplies here?"

"No, there isn't anything here. I'll call but it will take a little while. Why don't you all go get cleaned up. I'll yell when the food gets here."


	5. Ch 5 Camp Out

Chapter 5 – Camp Out

(Spike POV)

I smell the pizza arrive in the lobby from the fourth floor room Buffy picked out. The mini slayers are on the second floor and the Scoobies are on the third so we have this floor all to ourselves. We tried to wash up a bit but couldn't do much seeing as how we didn't have any fresh clothes to get into. I'm wearing a tattered old flannel shirt we found in the back of the van and Buffy's shirt has a large bloody hole in it where she was run through with a sword.

We amble down to the lobby listening to the girls and Andrew talking and laughing over their pizza. They've brought the pillows and blankets from their rooms and are having a right little camp-out on the floor in front of the reception desk. The adults are gathered around a long table set off in the corner dividing up boxes of Chinese food.

Buffy and I sit in between Fred and Giles directly across from Willow, Kennedy, Harris and Gunn. Angel is at one end of the table and Wesley at the other. I grab two plates and start dishing food for Buffy and I. Fred gets up and disappears behind the reception desk then returns a few minutes later with two large mugs. She sets one in front of Angel and hands the other to me. Blood. Warmed to the perfect temperature. I take a sip then put my arm around her shoulders and give her a slight squeeze. "Ta, pet. It's perfect." She blushes and nods.

There isn't much in the way of discussion for a bit as everyone is busy chowing down. I can feel Angel's gaze burning up the side of my head as I work my way through my plate of food. Of course the ponce doesn't bother with any of the human food, just sits there sipping at his mug and glaring at me. I just have to mess him about a bit. I pluck a bit of chicken off my plate and teasingly feed it to Buffy then lean in for a slow kiss. I nip at her bottom lip and get a tiny gasp. Angel suddenly bolts up from the table and stalks angrily into the kitchen. I clearly hear a low growl as the mug clatters into the sink and his fist pounds down on the counter.

Buffy elbows me in the ribs. "Stop antagonizing him. Let him get used to the idea. Please?" Her eyes are worried and a bit sad.

I hang my head and whisper, "Sorry, pet. I'll be good." I want to keep messing with him, get a little of my own back for all the shit he put me through with Dru, but not if it makes Buffy upset. I know she still cares a bit for Angel and even though I don't like it, I can understand her not wanting to see him hurting.

Giles pulls me out of my thoughts when he asks me to let him examine the talisman. I take it off and hand it to him. "I'll need that back on the morrow, Watcher. Plan to take my lady out for a stroll."

He nods, then holds it up and looks closely at the stone. "I see blue sparks swirling around. Were they present when Angel gave it to you, Buffy?"

She shakes her head. "No, the stone was a clear crystal and I didn't feel any of the power coming from it that I feel now. It feels like a smaller version of the Slayer weapon."

"Now that you mention it, I do feel a slight thrumming sensation coming from this. I couldn't feel it from your weapon, but that's most likely because I'm not a Slayer."

Angel sits back down at the table and glares at me but I'm determined not to bait him anymore. "Thanks for the food and rooms, Angel. It's good of you to help."

He blinks at me then stammers, "Uh….glad to do it. Is there anything else you need?"

I nod, "We could use some provisions. Clothes, toiletries and the like. We're all here with nothin' but the clothes we stand up in. Sunnyhell's a crater, we barely made it out at all."

Wesley leans forward and asks earnestly, "What happened inside the Hellmouth? How did you close it?"

Buffy snuggles into me then takes a deep breath and starts to explain, "Um, I led the Slayers and Spike down into the Hellmouth and we saw thousands of Turok-Han vampires. They noticed us before Willow's spell to distribute the Slayer Weapon's power had fully kicked in but we did a good job of holding them back. It got a lot easier once all the Slayers had the same strength and power but there were just way too many. We were struggling and a few girls fell to them, but then Spike's talisman powered up or whatever and dusted all the vampires. I didn't see how it started though. Spike, can you explain that part?"

I pull her tight against my chest, "Sure, pet. I was fightin' when suddenly I felt like I'd been stabbed through the chest with a burnin' stake. It knocked me back to the stairs and seemed to lock me there then a rush of power shot through me straight up and blasted a hole all the way through the school. When the sunlight hit me I could feel it but it didn't burn, then a beam of light shot out from my chest and lit up all the beasties and started takin' down the cave. That hurt a lot. Felt like I was burnin' up from the inside. I remember tellin' Buffy that I could feel my soul and I didn't think I had much time left so I yelled at her to get out. I could feel the fire already burnin' through my skin and I didn't want her to see me dust. She ran past me and that's the last thing I remember 'til I woke up in the back of the van. What happened after you ran past me?"

"I started up the stairs when an massively powerful voice told me to save you. I didn't think about it, I just grabbed onto your coat and ran up the stairs and out of the Hellmouth but I didn't think I'd pulled you out in time. I'd seen the flames on your face when I ran by you so I was pretty sure all I'd rescued was a dusty coat. When I finally looked at you though, there wasn't a mark on you. Your skin wasn't burned at all even where the talisman had been sitting on your chest. Your t-shirt was burned away and the edges were still smoking but your skin was fine. I carried you through the school to the front doors then wigged 'cause I had to take you outside into the sunlight. I didn't want to save you from the Hellmouth only to lose you on the way to the stupid van. I don't think I've ever run so fast in my life."

I knew she'd gotten me out of the school somehow, but I hadn't really thought much about it. Hearing her describe it amazed me. I take her hand in mine and squeeze. She looks up at me and smiles.

Angel clears his throat. "Buffy, tell me more about the voice you heard. Have you ever heard it before or did it sound like anyone you know?"

"No and no. I was halfway up the stairs when it knocked me into the wall with the force. I thought my head was gonna explode. All it said was SAVE HIM. I'm pretty sure it was male but beyond that, I've got nothing."

"Well," Giles yawns. "I think we should turn in and see about all of this in the morning. I have a feeling that we're going to have quite an interesting time seeing what's in store for our blond vampire."

My head snaps up from where I had been nuzzling Buffy's ear. "What d'you mean, Watcher? What d'you think is gonna happen to me?"

Giles leans back in his chair and takes his glasses off then scratches his head, "Well, a strange yet powerful voice commands the Slayer to save the Champion. There has to be a reason. Whoever spoke to Buffy obviously has plans for you or they would have just let you burn in the Hellmouth. Hopefully whoever this entity is they're on the side of good. I would hate to have to go through another First Evil experience."

Harris pipes up with, "Yeah, that would suck since I'm down to my last good eye." That bit gets a good chuckle out of the Scoobies but Angel's group just looks confused.

Angel stands up from the table. "Um…. well…. goodnight then. I'll have some of my people bring in supplies. They'll be waiting in the lobby for you in the morning."

"What? Tonight?" Willow asks. "Isn't everything closed by now?"

Gunn grins. "Oh, we're a 24/7 operation, plus we have access to pretty much anything in this town so rounding up supplies will not be a problem."

Everyone stands up from the table and steps over the sleeping slayers on their way upstairs. I shake my head at the snoring lumps of girl all over the floor. "Dozens of rooms here and they crash on the lobby floor. Silly chits."

Buffy sighs, "They've been through a lot in the last few months. They deserve to act like kids for a while. Hopefully they can just BE kids now."

I take her hand as we start up the stairs, "I don't know about that, luv. Watcher seems to think we have 'nother Big Bad on the horizon."

She shudders, "God, I hope not. I would love to just go back to dusting fledglings and fighting the odd demon. Maybe the Powers are just finally giving me what I've wished for."

"And what is that, luv?"

She stops in the hallway and turns to look at me. "When I first became the Slayer I wished so hard for a normal teenage life. You know, boys and school and shopping. But after the whole send my undead boyfriend to hell thing I realized that I will never have normal. As I got older I wished for different things that were kinda normal. Riley is a normal guy."

I growl low in my chest at the mention of Captains Forehead and Cardboard and she smiles and gently lays her hand on my chest.

"Well, he wasn't at first. He was almost as strong as me and knew about demons and whatever so he was kinda Slayer normal, I guess. When he lost that strength he became just regular normal and I spent all my time worrying that he was gonna get hurt. It sucks being ten times stronger than your boyfriend. When he left, I figured that I just wasn't going to get to have anyone in my life to love that I didn't have to always worry about so I started to wish for a just a friend to hang with and train with and patrol with that's as strong as I am and can handle themselves. Someone I don't always have to worry is going to get hurt." She gently cups my cheek and rubs her thumb across my cheekbone. "Maybe I just finally got my wish."

I tilt my head. "I'm your wish?"

She nods, "Well, kinda, yeah. I mean, you're as strong as me. You fight as well as I do and we fight well together. We make a good team."

My stomach clenches. "A team. A fightin' team. Uh-huh." What just happened? Her wish was to have someone to train with and patrol with? That's all she wanted? I am such a bloody idiot! She doesn't want me as a man, she wants a sparring partner! I growl out, "I guess today **was** just a dream and now I'm wakin' up." I turn and stomp angrily down the hallway but only get about four steps before she snags my sleeve and stops me. I try to pull my arm loose but she holds fast and tangles her other hand in the front of my shirt.

"You didn't let me finish. I wished for _only_ a friend because I didn't think I could hope for anything more. I thought that if I at least had my wish friend then I'd be ok. I wouldn't be so alone all the time. I got my wish, but you're so much more than just that. I love you, Spike. You're my wish and my wildest hopes all rolled into one beautiful package."

I brush a tear away from her cheek with my thumb and replace it with a kiss. "I'm sorry I got angry, pet. I'm still not used to you lovin' me. I wanted it for so long and….I'm honored to be your wish. I got my wish, too. My beautiful Buffy. Guess we're a couple of lucky suckers, eh?" I pick her up and carry her the rest of the way to our room. We don't bother getting undressed; we just fall into bed and are almost immediately asleep.


	6. Ch 6 Fun in the Shower

Chapter 6 – Fun in the Shower

(Spike POV)

It wasn't the pitter patter of little feet that woke me the next morning; it was the squealing and screaming of little slayers. They've apparently found the clothes Angel had sent over.

I pad barefoot into the lobby and fish a pair of jeans, a shirt and some socks for myself out of the pile of men's clothes. Getting clothes for Buffy is going to be a bit more difficult. I wait until the throng of girls has thinned somewhat before I venture over to the women's department. The knickers pile is currently unattended so I sort through it, feeling like a dirty old man the whole time, until I find a lacy red pair I think she'll like. I know I like them. I dig up a pair of jeans in her size then move over to the shirt pile.

Dawn is standing there folding and stacking shirts like she works at the Gap. "Mornin', L'il Bit. Need help findin' somethin' you like?"

She shakes her head and smiles, "No, I already did, I just didn't want to leave it such a mess after Angel went to all the trouble to put us up here. You do realize that we're all officially homeless now, right?"

"We'll be alright, pet. I'm sure Angel has no problem lettin' us use this place. He's got his huge law firm backin' 'im, so what's a few urchins shacked up in an old hotel?"

Dawn glares at me with her hands on her hips. "I am so not an urchin, Spike! I don't even know what that is, but I'm not one!"

I hold up my hands in a placating gesture, "Ok Niblet, calm down. We'll be fine. Maybe Giles can get hold of whatever's left of the Council and work somethin' out with them. We're gonna have to do somethin' with all these baby slayers. Maybe start some kind of Slayer school or somethin'. 'Sides, I didn't think you cared much for Peaches, Bit."

She shrugs, "Well, I kind of didn't. Now I'm just worried and don't want to take advantage of him. He's been so nice."

I chuckle, "Don't worry about the poof, pet. He'll manage. Can you find somethin' your sis might like? I've got knickers and pants, just need a shirt and socks." She sorts through the shirts until she finds one she likes and hands it to me. It's an emerald green tank top with some kind of swirly design all over it in sparkly paint. "Thanks, Bit. Gonna take this to the room and get cleaned up. See you a bit later and maybe we can take a turn 'round the neighborhood. Suss out our surroundings?"

She grins at me. "Sure, Spike. See you later for some sussing, whatever that is." She turns to leave then turns back and places her hand gently on my arm. "I'm sorry for how I treated you when you came back."

My head tilts in confusion, "How you treated me? I don't understand, Bit. What're you talkin' about?"

She drops her gaze to the floor and says quietly, "I threatened to set you on fire in your sleep, Spike. I was so mad at you because of what you did to Buffy. I didn't know what happened between you to make you do something like that. I didn't understand until she told me about your relationship after the whole RJ letterman jacket thing."

My mouth drops open in surprise. "She told you everything? All of it?"

She wraps her arms around me and squeezes me tight. "Yeah. I'm glad she finally realized how she felt about you. Took her long enough. I knew she loved you but she's way too stubborn to see things sometimes."

I squeeze her back and gently kiss the top of her head. "Thanks, Bit." She lets go and grabs her clothes then runs up the stairs. I grab a pair of socks off the haphazard pile and head up to the room. Buffy is singing away in the shower when I come in. I drop the pile of new clothes on the bureau and strip out of the ones I'm wearing then step silently into the bathroom and wait until Buffy has her back turned before I slip into the tub behind her. She turns around and screams then punches me. "Ow! What was that for?"

Her eyes get wide and she claps her hand to her mouth. "Oh God, I'm sorry, but you scared the crap out of me! Don't sneak up on me like that, you doofus!"

My eyebrow goes up. "Doofus? Well now, guess I won't give you the new clothes I got for you downstairs. You're gonna look right peculiar traipsing around LA in a hotel towel!"

She giggles and plants a kiss on me. "If I'm only wearing a towel, I doubt I'll even get to traipse out of this room, especially with you around."

"Bloody right." I tilt her chin up and kiss her roughly, running my hands down her arms and back up her sides while I kiss her jaw and down her neck. My hands find her breasts and I roll her nipples between my fingers, making her arch against me and moan. My mouth finds one rosy pink nipple and I suckle it hard. I kneel before her and keep kissing down her stomach until I reach the crinkly hair covering her mound then push her back against the wall and raise one leg up over my shoulder. My tongue delves deep into her folds. "Mmmm, you taste so good, pet." I push my tongue inside her as my fingers work her clit. Her hands grip my hair and try to push me even closer as I suck her clit into my mouth and work it with my teeth, slipping two fingers into her cleft. She's bucking and squirming against my face, whimpering and moaning as I pump my fingers faster and work her clit with my tongue. She comes with a cry, her walls quivering and covering my hand in Buffy juice. I bring my fingers to my mouth for a taste and sigh with pleasure then my tongue finds her clit again and she quickly shudders into another orgasm.

Her leg starts to quiver as I get to my feet, lift her up and brace her against the wall with my hands around her waist then slowly lower her onto my throbbing cock. She wraps her legs around me as I start to move inside her then she takes over the rhythm, pushing and pulling with her legs, as she leans in and bites my earlobe. I lean back and brace one hand against the wall and grip the shower curtain rod with the other and just let her ride me. She goes a bit faster, pushing me in as deep as she can then leans in again and bites me on the neck. Her walls clench around my cock and I explode inside her as she screams my name. She falls against me for a bit, shuddering and shaking, then disentangles herself and stands back on her feet. "Guess you didn't make it out of the room with or without the towel, eh pet?

She smiles up at me and dumps a handful of shampoo on my head then starts scrubbing my hair. I close my eyes and just enjoy the sensation. She pulls me under the water to rinse then takes the washcloth and starts soaping up and down my back, making sure she covers every inch. She turns me and scrubs my chest, stomach and arms then kneels and starting at my feet, scrubs up my legs. No one has ever done anything like this for me before and it feels bloody good. I'm just standing there with my head back and my eyes closed enjoying the hell out of myself when my cock is suddenly enveloped in something warm and wet.

I gasp loudly and look down to see my cock moving slowly in and out of her mouth. Her soapy little hands are rubbing all over my arse and massaging my balls as she moves on me. She starts moving faster and twirls her tongue making me groan and grab hold of the shower rod for support. One of her soapy little digits finds its way into my arse and when she sucks in her cheeks on the outstroke, I'm lost. As I roar and spurt my seed down her throat, my arm jerks and the shower rod breaks off the wall and clatters to the floor. I lean against the wall, panting and twitching as she licks me clean then rinses the soap from the rest of me. She turns off the water then stands and giggles at the half-flooded bathroom and the mangled shower rod lying on the floor.

"Oh, you think that's funny, do you Slayer? Angel's probably gonna make me pay for that, you know." She turns and giggles at me still leaning against the wall for support because my legs don't seem to want to work very well. "Bloody hell, woman! You wait 'til my legs start workin' again. I'm gonna catch you and shag you into the carpet!"

She squeals and jumps out of the tub then runs dripping into the room. I stumble after her, catch her round the waist and toss her on the bed. She lands face down and gets up on her hands and knees then backs to the edge of the bed, looking back over her shoulder and licking her lips. My cock springs to attention again as I step up behind her, seize her hips and impale her. She cries out and fists the blanket in her hands as I move her forward and back, again and again. She growls out "Harder." so I hold her steady and start pounding into her, panting and growling. She starts to quiver so I reach around and work her clit with my fingers until she screams. Those amazing Slayer muscles milk my cock and I erupt with a yell. We fall forward still cleaved together and I roll us so we're spooned and we lay there panting.

Sometime later, we're still lying in the same position. She's tracing lazy patterns on my arm with her nails and occasionally brings my fingers to her lips for a kiss.

I whisper quietly into her still damp hair, "Whatcha thinkin' 'bout, pet?"

"You. Us. How damn happy I am right this minute. You?"

"Just that I'm probably the happiest creature in this dimension or any other."

"Mmmm. That's nice. I'm glad I make you happy, Spike. There were times I thought I was happy before, but I don't think any of them can compare to the complete contentment that I feel laying here wrapped in your arms. If this isn't what heaven is going to be like then I don't think I ever want to go back there."

"You keep payin' me such nice compliments and my head's gonna swell so big I won't be able to get it through the door."

She twines her fingers with mine and pulls my arm tighter around her. "You deserve them. You may not think so, but you do. You're an amazing man, Spike. Intelligent, good, kind and caring. Not to mention smokin' hot. The funny thing is that most people would chalk that up to your soul. Well, maybe not the smokin' hot part, but the rest of it. What they don't get is that you were already that way before you got the soul. I didn't get that for a long time, either. All I saw was the demon. You were so patient with me when I was being such a complete bitch to you. I treated you so bad, Spike. Why did you hang around? Why did you keep trying after I shut you down or beat the crap out of you so many times?"

I place a gentle kiss to her shoulder, "I knew in my undead heart that you were worth it. You're an amazin' woman, Miss Buffy Summers. You're also intelligent, good, kind and caring, then you have to add strong, agile, loyal to a fault and stubborn as a mule. The smokin' hot thing goes without sayin', of course. Besides, just being near you was good enough for me. I hoped that if I hung around long enough you might start to see me as a man instead of a just a monster, but even if you never did, just being your friend, being a part of your life, however small, was heaven for me. A place I'll never get to, of course, so I'm glad I have it here with you now."

She giggles, "I guess nobody ever thought heaven could be located in a run-down hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Funny how things work out."


	7. Ch 7 Let's Go Shopping

Chapter 7 – Let's Go Shopping

(Spike POV)

Someone's knocking on the door… well… more like pounding on the door. I open my eyes and blearily look around the room. Oh yeah, LA. Angel's hotel. Warm sleeping Slayer in my arms. Heaven. Right.

I crawl off the bed and stumble to the door. This hotel is too old to have peep holes so I stand behind the door and open it a crack so I can peek around it. "Buggerin' fuck, Harris. What time is it?"

"Just after two in the afternoon. You missed breakfast and lunch. Dawn sent me up to make sure you two didn't starve to death. Giles and Wes have made some headway researching your necklace and Angel knows who the voice is. Lots happening today so get off your can and get downstairs, Fang Boy."

I close the door with a smirk and turn back to the bed. God, she's so beautiful. And she loves me. I'm such a lucky sod. "Buffy, luv? Time to get up. We have to get downstairs 'fore your sis sends up a rescue party."

"Mmpmh." She burrows further into the blankets and pulls a pillow over her head.

"Yes, now. Let's go, Slayer. Things to do and places to go, yeah?"

She rolls over and sits up with her eyes still closed. "Ok, I'm up." She opens her eyes, looks me up and down and grins, "Hmm, so are you." then reaches for me and pulls me down on top of her. Her lips meet mine in a hungry kiss as she wraps her legs around my waist and grinds into me.

I moan into her mouth as her hand slips down between us and guides me into her warm channel. "Buffy! Fuck!" She clenches her legs encouraging me to move. I start thrusting slowly at first until her breathing picks up then I move faster, bringing my mouth down to bite and suckle her nipples, making her arch her back and moan. I rise up a bit and angle my thrusts so my pelvis hits her clit on the downstroke then moisten a finger and reach around to massage her hole. She bucks and bites her bottom lip as I slowly insert the finger and thrust it in time with my hips. She comes wildly, scratching her nails down my back. The combination of clenching Slayer muscles and sudden pain makes me come with a roar.

I collapse, completely spent, and lay on her trying to catch the breath I don't need. She reaches around and hugs me, then takes my head in her hands and softly kisses me. I raise up on my elbows, taking some of my weight off her and we continue the soft kisses. It's amazing. Her mouth is so soft and warm and she tastes like honey. I could snog her all day.

More pounding on the door. "If I have to come back up here again, Evil Dead, I'm kicking the door in! Now get a move on!"

I raise my head and glare at the door. "Guess that's our wake up call, pet. We better get going."

She pulls me down into another kiss then sighs, "Yeah, I guess. Let's go."

XXXXX

XXXXX

We stroll into the lobby holding hands ten minutes later to a bevy of amused faces and one not so amused. Kennedy smiles at me as we stop near the middle of the room, "Did you guys hear? Apparently there's some kind of animal loose in the hotel. The girls kept telling me they heard roaring."

I send up a hearty thanks to the bleedin' Powers that vampires can't blush. Buffy, however, isn't a vampire and her cheeks are a rosy red as she squeezes my hand. I step in front of her to give her a chance to compose herself. "Interestin', Kennedy. Thanks for the info. Uh… I'll have a look 'round later, shall I?" I clap my hands and glance around the lobby. "So, anythin' to eat 'round here? I'm feelin' a mite peckish."

Willow pipes up, "There's bags of blood in the kitchen behind the reception desk and I think there might be some pizza left over from last night."

Buffy nods, "Thanks, Wil. I'll get us something. Be right back." She pulls my head down for a quick kiss.

Willow follows Buffy into the small kitchen and I walk over to a table piled high with books and clap Giles on the shoulder. "So, how goes it, mate? Find anythin' interestin'?"

He turns and looks up at me as he takes off his glasses. "Yes, quite a few things, actually. It appears that your necklace was forged at the same time as Buffy's Slayer weapon, by the same people as a matter of fact. They seem to be complimentary pieces, made to be used together."

"Well, that would follow, seein' as how they were both used in the fight against the First."

"Yes, quite. Wesley has found an ancient prophecy that seems to mention the two items. We haven't translated it completely yet, but what we have so far is quite compelling."

A slender arm snakes around my waist and a warm cup of blood appears in front of me. I take the cup and place a gentle kiss to the top of her head as my arm settles over her shoulders. "Ta, pet." She gives me a squeeze. I drink down the blood in a few gulps then look at Giles. "Where is my necklace, by the way? Fancy a bit of a stroll."

Giles doesn't look up from the large, dusty book open in front of him as he waves back over his shoulder. "Willow and Kennedy have it. Willow was trying some sort of reveal spell on it to try to find out its purpose."

Just then, Willow and Kennedy appear in front of me. Willow takes my cup, sets it on the table and starts pushing me backwards. I grasp her hand and lift it off my chest. "Red, what're you doing?"

She points to a chair directly behind me. "Spike, please sit for a minute, I want to try something. Buffy, can you hold this and put it on him when I ask?" She hands Buffy the talisman as I drop into the chair and look up at her warily.

Kennedy takes my hand and Willow pours a clear liquid onto my palm. The skin starts to sizzle and burn. I yelp and try to pull my hand back, but she holds fast. Willow waves her hand as she stares at mine. "Buffy, the necklace." Buffy slides the chain over my head and immediately the burning stops. I look at my hand and it's completely normal. Willow pours more holy water on my hand. Nothing. No burning. No sizzle. "Buffy, please remove the necklace." Buffy takes it off me, and my hand starts to sizzle again.

I shake the water off and look up at Willow. "What just happened?"

"Hold on." She takes my hand and drops a small cross into the palm. More sizzling and smoking. Buffy puts the necklace on me and the smoking stops. Kennedy presses a larger cross against my forearm. Nothing. Buffy removes the necklace and I yelp and jerk my arm away from the cross.

"Ok, why did the cross burn me yesterday when Andrew chucked it at me, but not today? I was wearin' the necklace when I caught it."

"One more test, Spike, then I'll explain it." Kennedy takes my hand and slices the palm open with a sharp knife. Blood wells up along the cut. Willow nods at Buffy and she drops the necklace over my head. The wound closes and Willow wipes the blood away to show my unmarked palm. Kennedy slices the knife across my palm again and the wound closes almost as fast as she opens it. She makes a shallow cut to my forearm and the same thing happens.

I cross my arms over my chest and look up at Willow. "Ok, Red. Spill"

She pulls up another chair and drops into it as Buffy steps behind me and puts her hands on my shoulders. "Um, well, the necklace is kind of like an immunization. If you're hurt when you put it on, it heals you then prevents those same kinds of injuries as long as you're wearing it. It doesn't prevent new injuries, like if I were to shoot you. You have to have the wound already so it can heal you first. You must have been a little sunburned when you put the necklace on one time which is why it protects you from sunlight now. And it only works on vampires." Willow holds up her hand and shows us a large bandage covering her palm.

I nod. "Well, come to think of it, I did get a little singed walkin' into the school and I didn't have the necklace on then. I put it on as I was walkin' down to the Hellmouth. How did you find this out?"

"I did a reveal spell and it showed me what looked like a hospital room filled with syringes. I was completely confused until Dawnie came up with immunization. Apparently the room from the spell reminded her of the nurse's office at her school. She just got an immunization last month. So we tried it on Angel. It immunized him against sunlight, crosses, holy water and knives. If we could get the necklace on you fast enough after you were staked, we could probably immunize you against that too."

My hand flies up to cover my unbeating heart. "Umm… thanks… but no. I think I'll be fine as is. Unless you want to try the stakin' thing with Angel first, you know sort of a dry run?" I smile at her to let her know I'm joking. Well, sort of. Bloody poofter couldn't just let me have anything, could he? Always horning in on what's mine. Well, from here on in this necklace is not leaving my sight. Be just like Captain Forehead to take it for more _testing_ then vanish with it.

I stand up, grab my empty cup and head to the kitchen for a refill. Buffy follows me in and waits quietly until I have the cup in the microwave then comes up behind me, turns me around and pushes me back into the counter with her kisses. I tangle my hands in her hair and pull her closer. The microwave beeps but we ignore it and carry on snogging.

I hear footsteps enter the kitchen and can almost hear Dawn rolling her eyes. "Jeez you two, do you ever come up for air?"

We break apart and I retrieve my cup from the microwave and lean against the counter sipping my blood. Buffy leans back against me and smiles at her sister. "Ok, I'm breathing air. Now what?"

Dawn grins, "Well, Spike told me earlier that we could take a walk around the neighborhood and do some sussing. Can we do that now?"

Buffy turns and smirks at me. "Sussing, Spike?"

I shrug, "Well, yeah. Just walk a bit and find out what's around us. Maybe do a spot of shopping." I finish off my cup of blood and lean over to drop it in the sink then take Buffy's hand and lead her and Dawn out of the kitchen towards the front door.

"We're going to take a turn 'round the neighborhood. Maybe pick up a few things. Anyone want to come along?"

A chorus of teenage girls shout their assent and start towards the door as Angel takes Xander aside and talks to him quietly, nodding at the lot of us. The girls walk out in a giggling clump followed by Xander and Andrew then Buffy and me. As I step through the doors into the sunlight, I have to consciously restrain myself from bolting back inside. Buffy tightens her grip on my hand and pulls me further into the light. "Gah, it's bright. Can't see a bloody thing." I squint and raise a hand to shade my eyes until they adjust.

Xander turns back and chuckles, "Wow, Fang Boy, never realized just how pale you are. You seriously need to work on your tan."

"Bite me, whelp." I laugh and we set off down the sidewalk.

A few blocks down, the girls veer into a clothing store and start sifting through the racks talking and laughing. I wander off towards the men's department and select a few pairs of jeans and half a dozen shirts. Xander and Andrew pick up a few things and we all wander over to where the girls have stacked a large pile of clothes next to the register. I lean over to Xander and whisper, "I have a bit of dosh but not nearly enough to cover all that."

Xander steps forward and speaks quietly with the clerk. She nods and continues ringing up the merchandise. Xander takes my items and adds them to the slowly shrinking pile. Buffy comes up with another armload, drops it on the counter and steps back to give me a hug. "Don't you just love shopping?"

"Uh… yeah… I guess." I just stand and stare as the pile on the counter gets smaller while the numbers on the register get bigger. The final total looks like enough to fund a small country. The clerk hits a few buttons on the register and it spits out a receipt as long as my arm then she folds it and hands it to Xander. The girls pick up the numerous bags and we make our way out of the store.

Back out on the sidewalk I reach out and snag Xander's arm, "Care to explain, mate?"

"Oh, Angel told me to get whatever we needed and just have the store bill him at Wolfram and Hart."

"Whatever we needed, eh?" I smile with an evil glint in my eye then tug Buffy's hand and head in the opposite direction, tossing back over my shoulder, "Catch you up at the hotel later then, yeah? Gonna go get some things I _need_."

XXXXX

XXXXX

Thank the Powers for vampire strength. Don't think I would've made it back to the hotel without it. We breeze through the door laden with our purchases. Well, I'm laden, Buffy just breezes. Wouldn't do for my lady to have to tote and carry. That's what I'm here for, right?

I stagger to the first available couch, drop the bags and fall onto it, exhausted. "Bloody hell."

Buffy sinks down beside me and laughs, "You were the one who wanted to go shopping."

Everyone gathers in front of the couch as she starts sorting items out of the bags into separate piles. I've got more jeans and shirts and a brand new pair of Docs. Buffy picked out a few button down shirts and even bought me some underwear. Can't imagine why. Never wear 'em. Might for her, if she likes that. There are magic supplies for Willow, jewelry for Dawn, Trek and Star Wars videos for Xander and Andrew and a leather-bound, hard cover book for Giles. She spills out a bag full of DVDs and video games on the floor and the girls start grabbing them up squealing with excitement.

Dawn holds up a handful of movies, "Um, we have nothing to play these on, so why'd you get them?"

Catching Angel's eye over the heads of the others, I smile evilly and say, "Don't worry, Bit. The shop said the big screen telly and all the fixings should be delivered here inside the hour."

Angel glares daggers at me. Git. Should bloody know me by now. I see an opportunity, I'm gonna take it. Especially an opportunity to annoy my brooding ponce of a Grandsire. I stand, gathering up my clothes and the bags of Buffy's things and head for the stairs. I've just deposited everything on the bed when Angel grabs my arm, swings me around violently and plows his fist into my face.

I stumble back clutching my bleeding nose. "Oi! What're you playin' at?"

He snarls, "Have fun today spending my money?"

I stalk toward him, a sneer on my lips. "Yeah, I did. Thanks for asking."

A low growl rumbles through the room as he clenches his hands into fists. "Boy, you're just begging for it, aren't you?"

I growl back. "I'm not your _boy_, Angelus. Haven't been for a long time."

"You're still my Grandchilde, William."

"So? Doesn't mean you get to pound on me whenever the mood strikes. Not anymore. I'm not a fledge, 'Gelus. Just 'cause we're the only ones of our little dysfunctional family left doesn't mean I'm gonna play punchin' bag for the rest of my unlife. I appreciate what you've done for all of us, but if it's too much trouble, we'll just go."

Angel stands glaring at me for a few more minutes then shakes his head and looks at the floor. "No, I don't want you to go; all of you can stay here as long as you want to. It's just…" He swallows and looks like he's fighting back tears. "It's hard seeing Buffy. Seeing how happy she is. Knowing that it's because of you and not me." He turns abruptly and stalks out of the room, calling over his shoulder, "And stop calling me Angelus, boy."

XXXXX

XXXXX

As I step into the lobby, four blokes are wrestling a huge box through the front doors. They stop for a rest and one asks, "Where do you want it?" The girls have cleared a large space along the back wall of the lobby so I point in that direction. I catch Buffy's eye, wink and nod towards the box and the four struggling men. She nods and we make our way over.

I tap the two blokes on one end of the box and say, "I'll get this end."

Buffy says from the other end, "Ready?"

"Yeah." We lift and easily carry the box across the lobby and deposit it on the floor.

The four blokes are standing by the front doors gaping at us with wide eyes. Dawn pokes me in the ribs and whispers, "Showoff!"

I chuckle and nod and make my way through the throng of girls tearing at the cardboard. "So that's all then? Anythin' I need to sign?"

The one holding a clipboard starts and blinks at me. "Um, no, someone already did that. Um, thanks. You folks have a nice day." They scurry out the doors and leave us to the sounds of squealing girls and tearing cardboard.

XXXXX

XXXXX

The telly is working but I doubt I'll ever get to watch anything on it. The girls have pulled all the couches into a rough semi-circle and are sprawled over them and the floor watching some girly movie. Wait, is that Andrew and Harris? Ponces. Giles, Wes, Willow and Kennedy are sitting in the comfy chairs discussing the prophecy. I don't see Buffy anywhere so I lift my head just a bit and sniff. There. She's in the kitchen. I walk in just in time to see her putting something in the microwave. I sidle up behind her and wrap my arms around her squeezing tightly. She starts a bit and tenses then turns in my arms, wraps her arms around my middle and squeezes me back. "Where've you been?" she murmurs into my chest.

"Oh, just upstairs. Put all the stuff away and cleaned up the room a mite."

She leans back and smirks up at me. "I could've done that later. You didn't need to."

"Not a problem, pet. What I'm here for, innit? To take care of my lady?"

The microwave beeps and she turns to it and removes a mug of blood. Handing it to me she smiles, "And I'm here to take care of my man." She reaches up and lightly brushes her fingers over my still slightly swollen nose. "What happened?"

"Peaches."

She frowns, "He hit you? Why? I am so gonna kick his ass."

I lean down and lightly brush my lips across hers, "Just leave it, pet. Nothin' to concern yourself about, family business is all."

Her fingers slip into my hair as she pulls me closer and deepens the kiss. She breaks away when air becomes an issue and smiles up at me. "If you're sure." I nod and she lifts the hand still holding the cup of blood. "Drink up before it gets cold."

After I've finished my blood, we wander back out to the lobby and I take a seat in the last comfy chair and pull Buffy down onto my lap. She snuggles in, wraps her arms around me and lays her head on my shoulder.

"Ok, I get that the talisman and the weapon are linked, but what does the rest of it mean?" Willow asks.

Wes looks up at her then back down at the book in his lap, "Well, this part mentions an Immortal Slayer and a Night Child who walks in the Day. They're supposed to protect the child sired of the demon from the Great Evil."

Kennedy points at me. "Spike could be the Night Child, couldn't he? He can walk in the day."

Giles frowns, "So could Angel. They are both immune to sunlight if they have the talisman. Probably just about any vampire could be if we immunize them with the talisman."

Wes holds up his hand and says, "Hold on, here's something else. The Night Child will be known by his spark."

I snort. "Spark. What?"

"Could mean a soul." Buffy says quietly.

Giles nods. "Which still leaves us with two possible contenders. How do we know which of our souled vampires is the right one?"

Buffy sits up and looks over at Giles. "What about the Immortal Slayer part? I'm not immortal; at least, I don't think I am. How would I know? Is there a way to find out?"

Wes nods, "We have seers at Wolfram and Hart that can read your aura and tell you how long you'll live. I mean, if that's something you would want to know."

Buffy shivers, "Well, I don't want to know when I'm gonna die _again_. I would like to find out if I'm prophecy girl though."

Willow picks up a book off the pile on the table. "So, we've got a possibly immortal Slayer and two souled vampires. Now what about this child of the demon. What's that about?"

Wes looks down at the book in his lap. "The text is very vague on that point. All it says is the child sired of the demon must be protected from the Great Evil. It doesn't say what the Great Evil is or when this child is supposed to appear. It does say that if the child dies at the hands of the Great Evil then the world is thrown into 1000 years of darkness."

Buffy laughs, "Great, another apocalypse. Gee, what are the odds?"

I pull her tight against me, "When can Buffy go to the seers?"

"Well… now, I guess. We are a 24/7 operation like Gunn said." Wes stands up and holds his hand out to Buffy.

She stands and pulls me out of the chair behind her. "He goes too."

XXXXX

XXXXX

The sun is just setting as we walk in the front doors of Wolfram and Hart. Even this late, the lobby is bustling. Lawyers and demons and what all everywhere you look. Wesley leads us to the elevator bank and pushes the down arrow.

I snort, "Your seers are in the parkin' garage?"

"Well, no." Wes chuckles. "They're down a little further than that. They need to be deep underground to cut the interference from so many souls walking around."

We step into the elevator and begin the descent. It seems to go on forever. Finally the elevator slides to a stop and the doors open onto a small room with a door set into the center of each wall. Wes walks to the door directly across from the elevator and motions for us to follow. Inside the room is a couch on one wall and a small table and chairs against the other wall. A small hooded figure sits at the table playing solitaire.

Wes motions for us to sit and leaves the room, closing the door softly behind him. We sit and I wrap my arm securely around Buffy's shoulders and pull her to me. She's trembling slightly and I can smell her fear as I look over at the seer who seems to be completely oblivious to our presence, sitting silently as he flips over another card.

Buffy and I both jump when he suddenly speaks. "Do not worry, William. I am not going to harm your Slayer. I can see her love for you. It burns brightly as does yours for her. Spike. William the Bloody. William Jonathan Pratt. You have the blood of innocent souls flecked all through your aura. They are black spots floating in the mist. Many, many thousands."

I start and tense up at the mention of my human name and my jaw starts to clench as he talks about how many people I've killed. I chance a sideways glance at Buffy. She smiles faintly, grabs my hand and twines her fingers with mine.

"I also see flickers of light sparkling in the darkness. The souls you have saved. Not as many yet as the black spots but there will be more. Many more. You will live a good long while, William."

I relax just a bit and plant a gentle kiss to the top of Buffy's head as the seer flips over another card.

"Slayer, your aura is strange. You have died before and been brought back, yes?" Buffy nods silently. "I can see the powerful magicks that brought your soul back from the ether. They are with you still. They swirl and churn in your aura. They protect your soul. Keep it to this plane. As long as you have the magicks, you will not die."

I feel Buffy tense and hear her throat clench. "What can take the magicks away?" Her voice is barely above a whisper.

The small figure turns then and stares straight at us. Bright, glowing eyes focus on me then the Slayer. "Only your will. You must want it with everything that you are. Only then will you die."

The seer turns back to his table and flips another card. Figuring that our audience is over, we get up from the couch and open the door. Buffy steps through and I'm just about to close it behind me when the seer says so quietly that I barely hear him. "A child is coming, vampire. Be ready."


	8. Ch 8 The Spark

Chapter 8 – The Spark

(Spike POV)

Wes meets us when we step off the elevator. "Well?"

Buffy tries to smile and doesn't quite make it. "Yep, I'm prophecy girl. So here we go again with another damn apocalypse."

We walk back to the hotel in silence.

The lobby is quiet when we get back. The girls are all apparently in their rooms because the telly is off and the couches are bare. We walk over to the chairs and I sink down into one then Buffy crawls onto my lap and buries her face in my neck. Wes sits down and picks up the book that contains the prophecy and starts flipping through it slowly.

"So, not good news, I take it." Harris whispers from his place on the floor in front of Willow's chair.

I wrap my arms around Buffy and hold her tight. "We both found out that we're gonna live a really long time. Buffy's immortal. She can't die unless she wants to so she's the Slayer from the prophecy. Now we just need to find out if it's the ponce or me that gets to help her out with it."

Giles removes his glasses and drags out the polishing cloth. "Didn't the seer say anything about the prophecy?"

"No." I'll keep the child is coming bit to myself for a while. He said **A **child, not **THE **child, so it may not have anything at all to do with the prophecy and spilling those beans'll probably just throw a spanner in the works. "He blathered on about our auras. Mine is full of black spots and Buffy's is full of the magicks Red used to bring her back."

Willow's eyes widen into horrified saucers. "Magicks? What? They're still there?"

"Yeah, they're what keep her soul tied to this plane. She can only get rid of them by willing it with all she is. She has to want to die."

Giles looks at me in interest as he perches his now spotless glasses on the bridge of his nose. "And your aura? The black spots? What do they mean?"

I look over at him as I clutch Buffy tighter. "They represent the tens of thousands of people I murdered, Rupert." Willow gasps and claps her hand to her mouth.

My gaze focuses on the witch. "Yes, Red. I murdered over sixty thousand people during my century plus of evil. Vampire, remember? The soddin' soul remembers each and every one and I'll carry the guilt over 'em for the rest of my unlife."

Buffy stirs and turns to look at the group. "He also has specks of light from the people he's saved. The seer said that he'll save many more." I pull her back to me and give her a soft kiss.

Wes starts scribbling furiously on his notepad then stares hard at the book and scribbles something else down on the pad. He looks up and stares at Buffy. "I know who the Night Child is."

He doesn't say anything else. We all just sit and stare at him until finally I say, "Out with it, Watcher! Who's it gonna be?"

He smiles faintly and looks down at the book. "Here it says that the Night Child will be known by his spark, which we assume means a soul. Then here on this page it says the spark is wanted and a reward. _The wanted fire. The reward for the fight_."

Everyone turns to stare at me with wide eyes. Buffy sits up, takes my face in her hands and whispers, "You fought for your soul. You wanted it." She gives me a soft peck then wraps her arms around me and lays her head on my shoulder. She licks across my siring mark and my eyes drift shut as I shiver.

I gather her in my arms and stand suddenly. "Well, night then." I carry Buffy upstairs to our room as I feel the eyes of the group boring into my back.

When we get to the room I lay Buffy down on the bed and quickly strip out of my clothes, tossing them carelessly in the corner. I lift the talisman over my head and move to place in on top of the bureau when I'm suddenly drawn back to the bed. Buffy has stripped her clothes off and is lying on the bed, gloriously naked.

I lie down beside her and start caressing her stomach with the hand still holding the talisman. The cold chain trailing across her skin makes her shiver and she looks down at my hand. She takes the talisman and holds it up watching the blue sparks swirling in the stone as I slip the chain over her head then place the stone gently between her breasts. I lean down and kiss one, circling the nipple with my tongue before sucking it in sharply. She gasps and her hands fly to my head, pushing me closer then touch me lightly anywhere she can reach. I suckle harder then break away and move to her other breast, nipping gently at the underside and licking up to her nipple then teasing it to a peak. My hand steals down to her soft folds and I gently slip two fingers in then thrust slowly while working her clit with my thumb. Her hips buck and soft mewling sounds escape her slightly parted lips as she starts thrusting against my hand and tangles her fingers tight in my hair. When her breathing is coming in short pants, I bite gently on her nipple making her arch up and suddenly she clenches and cries out, her walls fluttering around my fingers. I thrust gently until she's stopped quivering then bring my fingers to my mouth and lick them clean, savoring her taste.

She pushes me onto my back and straddles me then leans down and takes my bottom lip in her teeth, sucks it gently, then kisses down my neck to my chest.

There's something warm pressing against my stomach. Warmer than Buffy, I mean. I raise my head and look down at my stomach. It's the talisman. Why's it so warm? I'm about to open my mouth to say something about it when Buffy sucks in my nipple then bites down hard. The only noise that makes it through my lips is a loud groan.

She raises up and slowly guides me inside then presses down as far as she can go, rocking and twisting her hips as she reaches behind her to massage my balls and starts moving faster. My hips rise to thrust into her and her breathy mewls get louder and deepen into throaty moans. I feel her walls start to quiver and quickly flip her onto her back. Pounding into her, I nip at her neck with my human teeth and she slides her hands into my hair and whispers, "Bite me, Spike." I immediately shift into game face and sink my fangs deep into her neck. She spasms and arches up off the bed, every part of her clenched. She screams and bites my neck as her walls clamp down on me then start fluttering violently. I swallow and slam into her once more then raise my head and roar, spending deep inside her.

I collapse onto her in a daze. She lifts my head and captures my lips with hers as we both whisper "Mine. Forever."

XXXXX

XXXXX

I'm lying next to her gently licking my healing mark. "How long were we out, pet?"

She shrugs, "No idea. We need to get a clock in here or something." She turns her head and brings my lips to hers. I tease them open with my tongue and taste my own blood.

My fingers go to my neck and come away sticky with blood. "You bit me, pet."

She grins. "Well, you bit me too so I guess we're even."

"Yeah, guess we are at that." I look into her eyes, searching for any sign that she's repulsed by what I really am.

She frowns at me, "What's wrong?"

I raise up on one elbow and look down at her. "You've never asked me bite you before, luv. You were always disgusted by my demon."

She leans up and kisses me gently then falls back to the bed. "You bit my leg when we were in the van. Don't you remember?"

My brow furrows in concentration as I close my eyes and think back. I did bite her and she didn't punch me or kick me out on my arse. Wow. I open my eyes and gaze down into hers and her fingers come up and gently trace the scar on my eyebrow. "I used to hate being reminded of what you are, Spike. Every time you vamped out it made me so angry because it reminded me that my feelings for you were wrong. If I didn't see you all fangy then I could pretend that you were a normal guy. You know, a normal guy that only went out at night and was on a really weird liquid diet and lived in a crypt. But my feelings for you aren't wrong and I shouldn't have done that, Spike. You deserved more than that."

I just can't wrap my brain around it. Maybe if I say it again it'll sink in. "You **let** me bite you."

She grins and takes my head in her hands, "Yeah. Get used to it, 'cause I like it and I'm gonna want you to do it again. I never knew it could feel so good, I never knew what I was missing all this time."

I grin at her, "You let me bite you and you bit me."

She giggles and says very slowly as she nods, "Yes. We're both bitey." She trails her fingers over my mark. "It's not that big a deal, is it? You're a vampire, Spike, biting is what you do. I've never bitten anyone but it seemed like the thing to do at the time. They're just bites. We'll heal, you know."

She doesn't understand. Bugger. I thought she'd know what this means but I guess her soddin' Watcher was fallin' down on the job. I sit up and run my hands through my hair, "Yeah, we'll heal, but the thing is, luv, these are Claiming bites. Accordin' to vampire law we're Mated. Well, we would be if we were both vamps. I'm not sure how it works with a vamp and a human. Never heard of that happenin' before. I've only heard of a few vampires that ever Claimed. It's extremely rare."

Her grin gets wide and her eyes sparkle. "Mated? Is that like married? Am I Mrs. William the Bloody or Mrs. Pratt?" I feel a quick twinge of warmth when she speaks her married name.

"Well, it's kinda like marriage only without the escape clause. We've pledged ourselves to one another until death do us part, pet. There's no divorce in a vampire mating, the union only ends when one of us dies. That's why it's so rare. Not many vamps are up for that level of commitment. I probably should've explained this to you, at the very least your bleedin' Watcher should've, but I never thought you'd bite me. Why did you?"

She shrugs, "I don't know, it just felt like it was something I should do. When you bit me it felt like something told me to bite you back."

"Was it like the voice you heard in the Hellmouth?"

She looks thoughtful for a minute then nods, "Yeah, maybe. It was really quiet so I don't know if it was the same voice or not but it kind of felt the same, I guess."

I drop my eyes to the bed, "Oh. So you didn't want to, you only did it 'cause somethin' told you to and now you're stuck."

She cups my cheek and lifts my head, "Spike, are you worried that I'm upset about this?" I close my eyes and nod. "Well, don't be. Even though something gave me a push, I want to be with you, Spike." She gently traces her fingers over my cheek and across my lips. "Is this Mating thing bad?"

I look at her and shake my head, "No, it's not bad, it's just forever. You get that, right? Now you're stuck with me 'til one of us dies and since you're immortal, I guess that means you're stuck 'til I dust."

"What happens if Mated vampires just leave each other?"

I drop my eyes to the bed again. "They'd both die. They can't be too far apart from each other for very long. If they're separated for too long they stop bein' able to feed; can't even bring forth their demon. They can drink blood but it won't sustain 'em. Eventually they just dry up and turn to dust."

She takes my hand and twines our fingers together. "Guess I better keep you close then. Don't want a dusty husband." She smiles and I can feel her happiness at being mine. It blooms through my chest like my heart has started beating again. "So, Mr. Pratt, where would you like to have the reception?"

I scowl and am about to ask her not to call me that when she says, "Wow. I felt that. You're annoyed with me. How did I feel that?"

"Part of the Claiming. We have a strong emotional connection. We can sense what our mate is feelin'," I stop talking and finish with a thought, * _and thinkin'._ *

Her eyes go wide and she gasps, "I heard that in my head!"

I glance down at her breasts and think about taking one in my mouth.

* _I heard that, William Pratt!_ *

"Aww, luv, please don't call me by that poncy name. William is bad enough but add the Pratt and it just becomes horrible."

She sits up then leans in and kisses my nose. "Sorry, Spike. Won't happen again. Well, unless you piss me off but with the connection you'll know it before I can even speak the words, won't you?"

I lean back and look at Buffy thoughtfully. "You're handlin' this really well, pet. I figured you'd be blinkered at bein' stuck with me for the rest of your life and me knowin' your thoughts and feelings."

She reaches up and gently cups my cheek. "Spike, I _want_ to be stuck with you. I know we can't ever get married like I'm used to but I **love** the thought of us being Mated. You're mine. I'm yours. Forever. Can't you feel that?"

The warmth blooms again in my chest as I smile and clutch her close to me. "You're a hell of a woman, Summers."


	9. Ch 9 Forgiving

Chapter 9 – Forgiving

(Spike POV)

I smell bacon. I sit up and glance over at Buffy. She's curled on her side with her hands drawn up under her chin. I snuggle up behind her and place gentle kisses on her shoulder. She stretches and rolls toward me reaching for my head to draw me in for a kiss. Something rumbles low between us. She giggles and glances down at her stomach.

"Hungry, luv?"

"Starving, but I really don't want any more leftover Chinese. Could we maybe go out somewhere?"

"I can smell bacon, eggs and pancakes. Sounds like everyone is already downstairs. We'd better get you down there 'fore Harris scarfs it all."

The lobby is bustling with activity. The telly is blaring cartoons and a large table in the center of the lobby is piled high with breakfast food. The slayers are filling their plates and taking places at the table while the Scoobies are camped out on the couches balancing their plates on their legs. Buffy fills a plate and plops down on the sofa next to Willow. I head to the kitchen after some blood and see Angel coming out. We meet in the small space behind the reception desk.

"Mornin', Angel."

"Spike."

"Nice spread." I say, motioning toward the food laden table. "Thanks."

He shrugs, "Humans need more to eat than pizza and Chinese takeout. Especially the younger ones."

"Yeah, growing bodies and all that rot. Hope this isn't bankrupting your firm's cash supply. Those slayers can sure put away the nibbles and then there's Harris."

"The firm isn't paying for any of this. I am."

I tilt my head. "Where'd you get so much dosh? Rob a bank or something?"

"No, I inherited the estate of the Aurelian line when Darla dusted."

"Aurelian estate? What're you on about?"

"Let's just say that any vampire of the Aurelian line will never want for anything."

"When did this happen? I've never heard about any of this. Dru never mentioned it and Darla sure as hell wouldn't have."

"It was established centuries ago. The oldest vampire of the line controls the estate. When the Master died it fell to Darla then me. I didn't find out about it until I took over the firm. One of my own lawyers brought it to my attention about a month after I got there. The estate is held in trust by Wolfram and Hart but I control how it's used."

"So when do I get my share?"

He smirks at me. "You don't."

"Why not? I'm of the Aurelian line. We're all that's left 'less you plan on sirin' someone. So where's my cut?"

He crosses his arms over his chest and glares at me. "You're not mature enough for that kind of responsibility."

My mouth drops open. "Not mature? Bloody hell! I'm over 120 years old, ya git! How much more mature do I need to be?" A flash of anger washes over me and I notice Buffy sit up and turn sharply towards me. I smile at her and think * _S'ok, pet. Keep eating_. * She nods and smiles at me then turns back to her plate.

Angel watches the exchange between me and my Slayer with widening eyes then focuses on Buffy, narrowing his gaze. He suddenly snarls and vamps then grabs me by the front of my shirt, lifts me and slams me down on the reception desk. He growls at me, inches from my face. "You bit her!"

"Well…. yeah." I bring forth my demon. "Vampire."

I hear the sounds of scraping chairs and running feet. I can feel Buffy's flash of fear turn to anger as she stomps toward the desk. "Let him go, Angel. I asked him to, not that it's any of your business."

He looks up at her and I turn my head to see her. Her eyes are flashing and one thought keeps circling her mind. * _Don't you hurt him. *_ He looks back down at me and his eyes grow wide again. He lifts me up and slams me back down. "You're Claimed!" He looks back at Buffy. "You Claimed her? You're MATED?" He slams me into the desk again.

I chuckle, "Would've invited you to the ceremony, mate, but it was a bit of an intimate affair."

With a vicious snarl, Angel jerks me to my feet, spins me and slams my face into the counter before I have a chance to even think about reacting. My head is ringing as his hand clamps around my neck then lifts and throws me back into the wall by the kitchen door. I bounce off the wall straight into his fist then stumble back into the wall. He steps forward and wraps his hand in the front of my shirt, punching me four or five times in the head before Buffy grabs the back of his coat and tosses him over the desk onto the lobby floor. He's still holding onto my shirt, so I'm drug forward and slammed face first into the reception desk before he lets go.

"Keep him away. If he comes near Spike again, I'll stake him." The mini slayers pile on Angel and hold him while Buffy helps me up and walks me over to one of the couches. One eye is puffed shut and the other is full of blood from a cut on my forehead. My cheekbone feels broken, I'm sure my nose is broken and both lips are split and bleeding.

Willow appears with a bowl of water and a towel and Buffy starts wiping away the blood to assess the damage. * _Oh Spike, your face! Are you ok?_ *

I wince every time she touches my face with the towel and once she clears the blood out of my eye, I see her wince right along with me. * _I'll heal, pet. Had worse than this a time or two, yeah?_ *

One of the baby slayers walks up to the couch and leans down to whisper in Buffy's ear. "He wants us to let him up so he can apologize. Do you want us to?"

She sits for a minute looking at me and gently stroking my hair. I nod slightly and she sighs. "Fine, bring him over."

The girls perp-walk Angel over to where I'm lying on the couch. She glares up at him and growls. "You make one wrong move."

He nods then hangs his head. "I'm sorry, Buffy. I don't know what came over me. I just can't believe you're mated. And to him of all people. How could you do that? Did he force you? Do you even know what it means?"

I can feel her anger building as Angel speaks. I take her hand away from my hair and lace her fingers with mine. * _Go easy, pet. He's in shock. He still loves you and this is tearin' 'im up. I can feel it._ *

* _Why do you care how __**he**__ feels after what he just did to you?_ *

* _I know the pain of seein' the woman I love with someone else, pet. And he is my Grandsire. Even though we usually don't get along, we're family. Please, luv._ *

She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes then squeezes my hand. She opens her eyes and turns to Angel. "Yes, Angel, I know what it means. I was just about to jump up and kick your broody ass all over this hotel but Spike asked me to go easy on you. You're still standing there and not bleeding all over the floor because I don't want to hurt him more than he already is and it's not **me** you should be apologizing to."

Angel looks horrified. He stammers and shakes his head but Buffy isn't backing down. She glares daggers at Angel and nods towards me. Angel swallows and barely looks at me as he mumbles, "I'm sorry, Spike."

"S' ok, Angel. M' used to bein' your whippin' boy. This lot's just not used to seein' it, is all."

Willow drops onto the couch by my feet, her eyes wide and scared. "He's done this to you before? When?"

I chuckle, "Oh yeah, back when I was a fledge, Angelus'd beat on me 'til I couldn't move. Broken bones and all that rot. Sometimes he'd chain me to the wall and pound on me for days, usually for some small infraction like lookin' at 'im the wrong way or 'cause I'd let my mouth get the better of my brain. 'Gelus was a right bastard. Never apologized for any of it, not once." I sit up slowly and look Angel in the eye. "Angel's not such a bad bloke though. Bit poncy for my taste, but not bad."

I stand and extend my hand to Angel. He looks at my hand then looks up and meets my gaze. I can see his regret and sadness as he reaches out and clasps my hand. "I'm sorry, William. Really. For all of it. I hope you can forgive me."

I shake his hand and smile. "Believe I just did, mate."

I hear a small snort behind me and look back to see a trio of giggling slayers, the last three to join our happy band if I'm not mistaken. "What's so funny, girls?"

"You're name's William?"

I pull up to my full height, puff out my chest a bit and growl, "Yeah, didn't get the memo? William the Bloody here, Soddin' Scourge of Europe. Haven't you been teachin' these bints anythin' at all, Watcher?"

The room erupts into laughter.

XXXXX

XXXXX

The slayers have gone back to their breakfast and the Scoobies and Angel are talking quietly on the couches as I go to the kitchen to get the blood I was after earlier. It's warming in the microwave when Buffy comes up behind me and turns me to face her. She softly strokes my new cuts and bruises and lightly touches my split lips. "Hurt much?"

I try to smile then wince when my lip splits open again. "The cheek mostly, but I'll be ok, luv."

She pulls up her sleeve and raises her arm to my mouth. "Take some, you'll heal faster. It hurts me to see you like this. Please?"

I nod and sink my fangs into her forearm. Her blood is so rich and sweet and burns like whiskey as I swallow it down. I don't take more than a few swallows but I can already feel my wounds healing as I retract my fangs and lick the wound closed. "Thanks, pet. I feel a lot better. Do I look any better?"

"Yes, most of your bruises are almost gone and your lips are healed. Your cheek still looks pretty bad though." She reaches up and kisses me softly, teasing my mouth open with her tongue then sucks on my bottom lip and starts kissing down my neck. I groan softly then jump when the microwave beeps. She giggles and pops open the microwave.

Buffy and I go back out to the lobby and sit down on the couch next to Willow. She glances over at me and her eyes widen in surprise. "Spike! You look better! Wow."

"Yeah, Buffy gave me some of her blood. Didn't like seein' me all banged up." I reach out and pull Buffy close to me. "Nectar of the gods, that is. Bloody ambrosia."

"Ewww…. Ok…. too much information, Spike. Seriously." I laugh and Buffy blushes.

Xander picks the last piece of bacon off his plate as he looks over at us. "Buffy, you said that Spike asked you to go easy on Dead Boy but I never heard him speak. He was just laying there all with the bleeding, so, how?"

"He asked me with his mind. It's part of the Claiming. We can sense each other's emotions and thoughts."

Giles clears his throat and looks at Angel. "Angel, could you explain what the mating means? I think we're all very interested."

Angel sighs as he looks around the group. "Claiming happens when two vampires bite each other at the same time, drink each other's blood and say the word 'mine.' Once they Claim they're committed to each other eternally. They're Mated. A strong bond is formed between them that's only breakable by death. They can sense the feelings and thoughts of the other and can use the bond to track the other if they're separated. It's rare. I only know of a few vampires who've Claimed and I've never heard of a vampire who Claimed with a human. I'm surprised their bond is this strong already. From what I've heard it takes years for Mated vampires to be able to read the other's thoughts."

Willow looks at Buffy. "So you can read all his thoughts all the time? Wow, isn't that, I don't know…. noisy? And probably x-rated?" Willow grins and pokes me in the ribs.

I smile back at her. "No Red, we have to focus on the other person to send our thoughts. I can only read her feelings if they're strong or I'm concentrating on her."

"So what's Buffy thinking now?" Xander asks.

Suddenly the image of us in the shower in our room flashes in my mind and I grin. * _Naughty girl._ * "Nothin' I can say out loud, whelp." I squeeze Buffy and she blushes again. "Oi, Angel. Harris told me you knew who spoke to Buffy in the Hellmouth. So who was it?"

"The Powers."


	10. Ch 10 Soup

Chapter 10 – Soup

(Spike POV)

Buffy isn't feeling well this morning. She's been in the bathroom throwing up for the last three hours and she won't let me anywhere near her even though I keep telling her that vampires don't get sick. I'm standing outside the bathroom door with my forehead pressed against the wood feeling completely useless.

I know, I'll go down to the kitchen and make her some soup. Maybe that'll help, yeah?

The lobby is full of slayers getting their breakfast. The food delivery has become a regular thing in the last month. We get breakfast… well, more of a brunch and dinner delivered every day. Whatever doesn't get eaten right away is stashed in the fridge so hopefully there'll be something useful in there. Bollocks. Only thing left in here is four day old pizza. Bleedin' slayers and their super appetites.

I walk out into the lobby and see Willow leaning on the reception desk eating her breakfast. "Red, is there any place close that I can get some soup? The Slayer's feelin' a mite under the weather."

She quickly chews up the bite of pancake she just put in her mouth and nods, "Yeah, there's a little sandwich shop about two blocks down. They probably have soup. We really should get some groceries in here. Maybe we could go get some later today."

I call over my shoulder as I head for the door. "If the Slayer's feelin' better I'll lend my vamp strength to the cause. Gonna need a lot to feed this group." I check to make sure I'm still wearing my talisman before stepping into the sunlight then stand there blinking and hoping that my eyes will eventually get used to bright light.

The shop is busy and they do have soup. I get three containers and head back to the hotel. I put two containers in the fridge and pop the third into the microwave to warm up a bit. Grabbing a spoon and the soup I head up the stairs to see to my sick Slayer.

She's finally out of the bathroom and has curled up on the bed. She's not sleeping; she's just laying there staring out the window. "Buffy? How're you feelin', pet?"

Her face twists into a scowl. "Miserable. I thought Slayers weren't supposed to get sick. How am I supposed to patrol tonight if I have to stop every ten feet to puke?"

"Don't worry about patrollin', luv. The mini slayers and I will handle it. It'll be good trainin' for 'em. They're learnin' all about demons from Giles and Wes, might be a good time to let 'em see a few in action. You know, just regular fightin', not averting an apocalypse."

I'm sitting down beside her on the bed and have just taken the lid off the soup when I hear it. A tiny fluttering noise. I tilt my head trying to figure where it's coming from and my head swivels as I locate the source of the sound.

I set the soup on the nightstand and Buffy yelps when I roll her onto her back and place my ear to her lower belly. She tries to push me away and smacks my shoulder when I shush her. Yep, there it is. A tiny fluttering heartbeat swimming around in Buffy's belly. My stomach clenches and I stand up quickly and walk to the window. Without turning I say, "Buffy, is there anythin' you want to tell me?"

"No. Why? What's wrong with you, Spike?"

"I know why you're sick."

"You know? Great. How do I make it stop?"

My voice is very calm considering my roiling anger and the demon inside me struggling to surface. "Oh, it shouldn't last too much longer. Mornin' sickness only happens for the first few weeks or so. From what I hear, anyway. Don't have firsthand experience myself. Saw a program about it on telly."

"Morning sickness? What the hell are you talking about? I'm not pregnant! You can't get me pregnant. You're a vampire!"

"My point exactly and yet here we are. I'm a vampire and you're with child." I hear her strangled cry and smell the tears as they start to fall. I turn and walk back to the bed and kneel on the floor beside it, unable to hold back the tears. "Why? Buffy, why would you do this to me?"

She glares at me with her fists clenched. "I didn't do anything! With anybody! How can you even ask me that?"

My voice rises and my anger starts leaking through. "How else would you explain this? It couldn't have been me so who was it?"

She leans toward me and screams in my face. "I haven't been with anybody but you since Riley, you stupid asshole!" She picks up my pillow and punches it viciously then looks up at me with a pleading face. "Besides, wouldn't you be able to tell? Through the bond? Wouldn't you feel it? I knew you'd left the hotel this morning. I felt it. I knew when you got back. I feel you wherever you are and you're telling me you wouldn't have been able to feel it if I was cheating on you?"

I feel like I've been pole axed as I drop my eyes to the floor and stare at the threadbare carpet for a long time. She's right. I would've felt it. I would've known. So how? How is this possible? I lift my head slowly and look at Buffy. She's sitting in the middle of the bed hugging my pillow with tears streaming down her face. I start to speak but my throat is closed up so I clear it and try again. "Oh luv, I'm so sorry. I'm a soddin' moron. You're right. I would've known. I can't believe what I just did, you must hate me. I'm so sorry." I get up off the floor and sit down uneasily on the edge of the bed. I want to hold her but I'm afraid she won't let me. I've bollixed it up again.

* _I don't hate you, Spike, but you are a moron and I will let you hold me._ *

I pull her into my lap and wrap my arms around her. "I'm sorry, pet. I love you so much. Whatever this is, we'll get it sorted, I promise."

We sit like that for a while until I feel her getting sleepy. I lay her down and get her comfortable then sit beside her rubbing her back until she falls asleep. My head is spinning as I pick up the cold soup and head back downstairs. My Slayer is pregnant. How? What the bloody hell is going on? I put the soup in the fridge, turn and run straight into Willow. I step back and run my hands shakily through my hair as I mumble, "Sorry Red, wasn't lookin' where I was goin'."

"Ready to go grocery shopping, Spike? How's Buffy feeling?" She snaps her fingers in front of my face when I don't respond right away. "Spike, what's wrong? What's happened? Is Buffy ok?"

I blink at her, "Yeah, she's ok, I guess. She's pregnant."

"She's WHAT?"

"Pregnant, knocked up, with child, bun in the oven. Pregnant."

"What? How? Who?"

I run my hands through my hair again and sigh. "Three very good questions, Red. Questions we need to find the answers to. Soon. Nobody else knows so could we please keep this under wraps 'til we sort it? Don't think she needs the stress in her condition, alright?"

"Um…. ok…. sure. When did she find out? How far along is she?"

"She found out about two hours ago when I told her. I watched a program on pregnancy once and if I remember right the heart begins beatin' around four weeks after conception so she's about four weeks along."

"YOU told her? How did you know?"

"Heard the tyke's heartbeat. Didn't hear anythin' yesterday, so yeah, I figure she's about four weeks gone." I look up at the ceiling, close my eyes and concentrate for a second. Still sleeping. Good. When I open my eyes, Willow is looking at me strangely. "Just checkin' on the Slayer, Red. Had to concentrate for just a tic. I'm a bit spun as you can imagine."

She nods and her face turns thoughtful for a few minutes then her eyes light up. "Spike, your mating…. um…. ceremony. Wasn't that about four weeks ago?"

I tilt my head as I look at her, not sure what she's getting at. "Yeah, what of it? Claiming doesn't make vampires fertile, Red."

She nods, "Well…. um…. did anything strange happen or did you…. um…. do anything differently?"

I shake my head, "No, nothin' that we haven't done before." I stop as pictures from that night play across my mind then walk quickly around to the other side of the kitchen island to hide the fact that I'm suddenly hard as stone. I think again about that night, playing the images slowly, trying to find anything strange and finally it hits me. "My talisman. Buffy was wearin' it during the…. um…. ceremony. That's the only thing different, well aside from the Claiming."

Willow's brow furrows and she looks down at the counter top then starts talking low and fast to herself like I'm not even in the room. "The talisman heals and immunizes vampires. Buffy isn't a vampire but she is the Slayer. We never tested it on any slayers. Well, I'll assume it's the same for now. The pregnancy is like a side effect so I'll have to start with the conception. It could have healed Buffy's eggs when she put it on but she would still need the sperm. Spike's seed is dead and the necklace wouldn't have healed it if she was wearing it before his seed entered. The seed would already need to be there when she put the necklace on so it could be healed."

Her head flies up and she looks at me. "Spike!"

I jump at the sudden motion and the sharpness in her voice. "What?"

"When was the last time you and Buffy had sex before the Claiming?"

I think back. That was the seer night after we'd been shopping. We got a late start because of the shower then we slept then Harris woke us up. "About seven hours, give or take. Why?"

"That time, did you…. um…. did you make a deposit in her?" She blushes a deep red.

"Did I come inside her? Yeah Red, I did. So?"

She blushes so red I'm afraid her head's about to explode. "Then there was probably some of your…. um…. deposit left inside her when she put the talisman on later that night. The talisman heals, so it healed your seed and made it alive again." She claps and smiles. "I think you're gonna be a daddy, Spike!"


	11. Ch 11 Passed Out

Chapter 11 – Passed Out

(Spike POV)

I passed out. Yep, eyes rolled up and I hit the floor like a ton of bricks. Bit poncy, I'll admit. I mean, I've passed out from blinding pain and horrible torture but I've never just swooned. But honestly, can you blame me? I'm a vampire. Vampires don't get people pregnant. Was a virgin when I was turned so the daddy ship had sailed for me over 120 years ago. Looks like it's coming back to port now. Bugger. Not that I never wanted to be a father, just knew it wasn't in the cards so it's a bit hard to wrap my head round.

"Spike? Spike, wake up!" Somebody punches me. Hard.

I groan as I open my eyes to a brassed off Slayer. "Bloody hell, woman! What was that for?" I sit up slowly and clutch my aching head.

She kneels in front of me and looks me in the eye. "I couldn't feel you. I woke up and couldn't feel you anywhere. Willow came to get me and told me you'd passed out. I thought you were dead!"

"So you punched me?"

"Well, I didn't know how else to wake you up and if you were dead then I was punching you for dying on me. You're not allowed to do that, Spike!" She straddles my legs and wraps her arms around me.

I stroke her back and murmur against her neck. "Pet, if I was dead…. well deader…. I'd be a pile of dust, not laid out on the kitchen floor and I definitely wouldn't be punchable."

She strokes the hair on the nape of my neck and whispers, "Well, yeah, I guess, but why couldn't I feel you?"

I shrug, "Not sure. Maybe 'cause I was unconscious the bond was very faint or somethin'. I don't know, pet. There's not really an instruction manual for this sort of thing."

I get to my feet and take Buffy in my arms. She's trembling and I can feel her fear mixed with a tiny bit of anger. Willow is standing next to me and a small crowd has gathered in the kitchen door.

I look over at Willow and nod toward the lobby. "I need to get the Slayer back upstairs and into bed. Can you come up and help out for a bit?" She nods and falls in behind me.

The crowd backs up as we get near the door. I weave through the mini slayers and back through the lobby. Harris meets us just as we start up the stairs. He glances at me then looks hard at Buffy.

"Buff, what's wrong? You don't look so good." She shrugs and gives him a wan smile.

"She's sick, Harris. I'm just taking her back up to bed. Could you warm one of the soup containers in the fridge and bring it up?"

"Yeah, sure. By the way, Spike, you're cheek is bleeding."

I grin, "Yeah, Buffy punched me 'cause she thought I was dead."

He looks at me like I've grown a second head "Oh sure, of course. Yeah, that makes sense. Um, I'll be up in a few with the soup."

Willow and I get Buffy all tucked up and sit quietly waiting for Harris. I ask him to stay gesturing towards a chair and get Buffy started eating. I sit down beside her, lean back against the headboard and nod to Willow. "You've got the floor, Red. Take it away."

"Shouldn't we wait for Giles? He should be back with Wes anytime now."

I shake my head. "No, I figure we'd start with the core Scoobs then branch out from there. Gonna be a bit of a shock to everyone, I expect. Hell, made me pass out like a poncy wanker."

Willow nods then takes a deep breath. "Ok. Here goes." She looks at Xander. "Buffy is pregnant."

His eyes widen and he sputters, "What? How? Who?"

"That's just what I said when Spike told me! Weird. Anyway, Buffy is pregnant and Spike is the father."

Buffy and Harris both shout at the same time. "What?"

Willow rushes on. "So we've got the what, Buffy is pregnant, and the who, Spike, now for the how. You know that the talisman heals whatever injuries are there when it's put on, right? Well, we've only tried it on vampires and humans, not slayers. Apparently it works on slayers like it does on vampires."

Xander shakes his head. "Ok, Wils, you've lost me. Spike can't be a father. Dead swimmers, right? Did the talisman heal his swimmers?"

"Not the way you think. It did heal them but not while they were in Spike. They're a part of him and are supposed to be that way when they're in him. It only heals things that are different from the way they're supposed to be, like a cut or a burn. It healed them when they were in Buffy. They weren't already a part of her and they weren't the way they're supposed to be when in her so the talisman healed them and now Spike's going to be a daddy."

We all sit in silence for a while. Buffy is eating her soup and I'm listening to my baby's heartbeat. My baby. I place a hand on Buffy's belly and she covers it with her own and smiles.

* _That's our baby in there, pet._ *

* _Yes, and she's going to have the best daddy in the world._ *

* _She? Hey, it might be a boy!_ *

* _Maybe._ * She grins up at me and drains the soup container.

Xander claps his hands to his legs and startles us out of our thoughts. "Whoa. That's wild. Evil Dead's gonna be a pop. Wow, what are the odds?"

"We aren't lettin' anyone else know about this just yet, Harris. Need to get the Watcher in on it but that's it for now. Okay? Can you do that?"

"Yeah, I can do that. I doubt anyone would believe me anyway." Harris stands and moves to the door. "I'll wait for Giles and bring him up as soon as he gets back."

Willow stands, takes the empty soup container from Buffy and follows Harris out. "Thanks, Red."

Buffy scoots off the end of the bed motioning for me to stay put then disappears into the bathroom and comes back with a washcloth. She crawls back up the bed, straddles my lap and starts gently wiping the blood from my cheek. "I'm sorry I hit you, Spike." She leans in and places a feather light kiss on the cut.

"I'm ok, luv. Know you didn't mean it." She continues kissing my cheek and moves down my jaw to my neck, nipping and licking. I groan softly and shift my hips to a more comfortable position. She reaches her hands under my shirt and rubs my chest as she grinds into me. "Feelin' better then, I take it?" I growl and pull her to my lips. I explore her mouth with my tongue and feather kisses down her neck then nip gently at my mark and she gasps. She tugs my shirt over my head and starts kissing down my chest, taking one nipple in her teeth and sucking while she tweaks the other with her fingers. She licks and nips circles over my stomach then unbuttons my jeans with her teeth. I raise up so she can slip them down over my hips and freeze as I hear several people coming up the stairs at the far end of our hallway.

Buffy frowns up at me. "What's wrong? Why'd you stop?"

"Watcher's back. Him and the Scoobs are on their way here. Have to pick this up later, pet."

I start to pull my jeans back up and gasp as she takes my cock deep into her mouth. She moves up and down my shaft quickly twirling her tongue and sucking in her cheeks then relaxes her throat and takes me almost to the hilt. She sucks and scrapes her teeth down my length before plunging me back in. A few more and I explode, roaring and shaking. She licks me clean and sits up to throw the blankets over me just as a knock sounds on the door. She bounces off the bed and jogs to the door, swinging it wide.

Willow enters first, followed by Harris and the Watcher. Willow sits in the chair closest to the bed and looks over at me sitting there in a daze. Harris takes the other chair and Giles leans against the bureau. Buffy closes the door and bounces back onto the bed snuggling beside me with her arm over my chest and her head on my shoulder.

"What's wrong with Fang Boy? He pass out again?"

I blink and turn toward Harris. "No whelp, just a bit spent. Think the Slayer's trying to kill me." * _By suckin' me dry._ * Buffy blushes and pinches me.

Giles takes off his glasses. "Yes, quite. I understand you have something of some importance to tell me."

"Red, you want to take this? My brain's still a bit fuzzy, probably wouldn't explain it right." Another pinch.

It only takes a few minutes for Willow to explain. We get several Dear Lords, one Oh Dear Lord and a lot of glasses polishing.

"Rupes, if you keep polishin' those glasses like that, you're gonna burn a hole clean through the lens."

"Oh yes, quite." He puts his glasses back on and stares over at us. "Buffy, pregnant. That in itself is a lot to take in. Spike being the cause, well that's just a bit more, isn't it?" He takes his glasses off and scratches his head as he looks over at Red. "Willow, you're sure your theory is sound regarding the talisman's effects? Could this possibly be the result of a spell or some other supernatural occurrence?

Willow's resolve face comes crashing to the fore. "Yes, I'm sure I'm right but there isn't really a way to find out, is there? I mean, it's not like Spike could go get a paternity test, could he?

I snort, "Not bloody likely, Red. My blood's not original. Test would come back as pig or otter or whatever Angel's got stashed in the fridge downstairs."

She frowns, "Yeah, kinda what I thought."

Giles shifts on the bureau, "Spike, how did you know Buffy was pregnant?"

"Heard the tyke's heartbeat. Hold on." I pull Buffy up so she's kneeling next to me and lean in to her belly. I close my eyes and sniff. "Can smell it too."

Xander's eyes get wide. "Smell it? What does it smell like?"

"Oh, a bit like Buffy and a bit like me. Humans each have their own distinct scent, at least the adults do. Sprogs smell like a mixture of their parents, they don't get their own scent 'til after puberty. I could stand in a crowd and tell you which kids belong to which parents just by their scent."

Willow frowns at me. "Do vampires have their own scents too? I kinda thought you smelled like your surroundings. You smell like leather and cigarettes most of the time and Angel smells like cologne or hair gel or something. So how can you tell it's your scent? Does it smell like leather?"

Xander laughs, "So Wils, you make it a habit of going around sniffing the undead?" Willow blushes and punches him on the arm.

I chuckle and give Buffy a quick kiss as she settles into me again. "My nose is a bit more sensitive, pet. I can smell everythin' in this room and a lot of things outside it. Harris has mint gum in his pocket, you have a packet of burba weed in your bag along with rose and vanilla candles and Giles has an old leather wallet. Oh, and Harris ate somethin' covered in onions 'bout three hours ago. Probably explains the gum." I grin at the lot of them as they check to verify my statement. "My scent is different from other vamps. I'm a lot older than most of them for one thing and I don't drink human blood anymore, well, not much anyway." I squeeze Buffy. "That makes my scent stand out a bit." I pause then grin up at the ceiling. "You lot fancy a quick field trip? Get us a second opinion, yeah?"

Harris smirks. "Who are we gonna go see? Do vampires have gynecologists?"

I smirk back, "I was thinkin' Angel."

"Think he'd do it? Wouldn't it wig him out or whatever? He hasn't really been around much since that morning he pounded on you."

"Wasn't plannin' on askin' 'im, mate. Just show up and let it play out. See what's what." Nobody moves. "You lot want to clear out for a mo'? Meet you downstairs. Let a fella get organized." I start to throw the covers off and that gets them moving. They scurry out of the room and Harris pulls the door shut with a slam.

I stand up next to the bed and do up my jeans. "Luv, could you hand me my shirt?" Buffy grabs my shirt and climbs off the bed to stand in front of me, holding it behind her with one hand while she traces gently down my chest with the other. I wrap my arms around her and bring her lips to mine. She drops the shirt and tangles her hands in my hair as I kiss down her neck and lick and nip at my mark while I unbutton her shirt. I push it down her arms and find a nipple with my mouth. She fights her arms out of the shirt to grab my head and pull me closer. I nip and lick down her belly until I'm kneeling in front of her kissing her mound. I tug her sleep pants down over her hips then snake my tongue in and find her bud. She gasps and her hips buck against me.

I turn her and push her down on the bed, pulling her pants off as she lays back then spread her legs and lick up her thigh. Moving closer, I drape her legs over my shoulders and dive in, licking and sucking. I enter her with two fingers and curl them to find the raised area on her inner wall making her moan and move her hips in time with my tongue. I reach up with my free hand and find a breast, tweaking the nipple as I lick in hard strokes and take her nub in my teeth. She's panting and trying to pull my hair clean out as I suck in her clit and push up on the inside nub at the same time. She clenches her thighs around my head and screams my name as her walls spasm and shake.

I remove my fingers and lick them clean, sighing with pleasure then lick gently at her folds and her still pulsing nub. I work her clit quickly, swirling my tongue and she comes again with a loud moan. I lick her clean again and raise my head. "Ready to go, pet?"


	12. Ch 12 Second Opinion

Chapter 12 – Second Opinion

(Spike POV)

Harmony shows us into Angel's office, only glaring at Buffy once, and we sit down to wait. He's apparently in conference with a group of demons who are having a problem with parts of some contract. Exciting stuff, that. Just one more reason I'm glad I'm not Angel.

I see a deck of cards on a table in the corner so I set up a friendly game of poker with Willow, Giles and Harris. Once I see how bad they are at this, I wish we'd agreed on a cash game. None of them have any kind of poker face. At all. They might as well just show me each and every card in their hand as it's dealt.

Buffy wanders around the office looking at the weapons displayed everywhere then sits in Angel's chair and spins around a few times. * _Whoops, shouldn't have done that. Woozy now. Think I'm gonna puke._ *

I bolt up from the table and snag a small trash can on my way over to Buffy, thrusting it into her hands just before the soup comes back up. I stash the can under the desk when she's done, nice little surprise for Angel later, and help her into Angel's private bathroom to get her cleaned up. I walk her back out to the office, get her settled on the couch and go back to the game.

Harris grunts at me. "You know, that's kinda creepy, Spike."

I tilt my head at him and raise my eyebrow. "What? Upchucking Slayers? Why is that creepy?"

Willow smiles. "I think he means how you knew she was going to and got there before she did. How did you know, anyway?"

"She told me… well… thought it at me. The mating bond, remember?"

Giles looks at me oddly then smiles. "You know, Spike, you are a very strange vampire. The Council has never written of any vampire who takes care of his women like you do."

I shrug and thank the Powers again that vampires can't blush. "Yeah… well… must be a holdover from when I was human. I was raised an English gentleman, you know. And speaking of ponces, here comes Peaches."

Angel stomps through the door and slams it behind him then stands with his eyes closed while he pinches the bridge of his nose. He mutters under his breath as he moves toward the bar on the wall behind us and starts as he sees the four of us sitting at the table.

I smirk up at him. "Rough day at work, dear?"

"What the hell are you doing in my office?"

"Just popped by for a bit of a chat. Haven't seen you about in a while. Buffy wanted to see you."

"Where is Buffy?"

"Sleepin' on the couch over there. Been feelin' a bit under the weather. Thought a stroll might do her some good."

Angel pulls a chair up next to the couch and sits down. He just sits and looks at Buffy for a few minutes then leans forward and tilts his head. He shakes it and leans a little closer then tilts it again. He leans over almost double and sniffs loudly.

He's across the room and has me pulled out of the chair by the front of my shirt before I'm even aware he's moving. Giles, Willow and Harris stand and start toward us as Angel drags me to the corner of the office furthest from Buffy. He pins me to the wall with a forearm across my throat and growls, "She's pregnant." I nod because I can't get any air to speak with. "It's yours." he snarls as he slides into game face. Willow gasps and Angel turns and snarls at her then turns back to me. "You care to explain how, William?" I scowl at him and shake my head. He grinds his forearm further into my throat and growls, "Spit it out, boy. How'd this happen?"

I'm trying my level best to stay calm. I don't want to project anything to Buffy and have her wake up to this happy scene, but I'm about to lose it. Before I can do anything, Willow grabs Angel's arm and tries to pull him off me. "He could tell you if you'd let him go. He can't breathe."

Angel snarls at her, "Vampires don't need to breathe, girl. Thought you'd have learned that by now."

Harris steps forward and grabs his other arm. "They do if you want them to talk, Dead Boy. Now let him go."

Angel glares at Harris then steps back, releasing his hold on my throat. I drop to the floor and take a few rasping breaths then cough out. "Let's have a seat over there, yeah? This might take a while."

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It actually doesn't take very long to explain. I lay out the bare bones and Willow fleshes them out. Buffy woke up during the chat, came over to me and crawled into my lap. She sat there, tense and quiet until Willow stopped talking then * _So, did Angel?_ *

I nod. * _He confirmed it, pet. It's mine._ * She relaxes into me, takes my hand and twines our fingers together.

We sit in silence for a while, everyone lost in their thoughts. My stomach growls loudly and Buffy giggles. I look around at the group. "Anybody else hungry?" Nods all around. "I'm feelin' a mite peckish and we need to get somethin' into Buffy."

An image of Buffy kneeling in front of me unbuttoning my jeans slams into my head. * _I can think of something I'd like to get into me._ * She smiles and wiggles against my suddenly hard cock. I groan low and nuzzle against her neck nipping lightly.

"Um, guys?" We both look over at Willow. "Food, remember?"

Angel stands, walks over to his desk and picks up the phone. "Harmony, I need lunch for four humans and two vampires." He pauses for a minute. "Um, coffee, tea for Giles and some 7up. Thanks, Harm."

"Lunch should be here in about ten minutes." He sits back down, glances at Buffy and me then quickly looks at Giles. "Have you found anything else on the prophecy? Any idea who or what the Great Evil is yet?"

She's still wiggling. She giggles a little bit every time I moan under my breath. * _Pet, you really need to stop that or I'm gonna give the Scoobs and Forehead quite a show._ * She reaches between us and gives my cock a strong squeeze through my jeans and I growl into her shoulder. * _Pet!_ *

* _Sorry, Spike. I'll be good._ * She shifts just enough to take some of the pressure off and I give her a squeeze and try to focus on the conversation.

"Well, not who, exactly, but what. Wesley found something that says it's formless but will assume the form in the mind of the foe."

"Assume the form? Like a shape shifter?"

"Somewhat. What he has translated so far says the Great Evil will take its form from the mind of its foe. When a blow is struck, the form is assumed. The form is set with the blood of the foe."

Willow pipes up, "So whatever the foe thinks of is what it turns into?"

"Apparently."

"So if the foe thinks of a bunny, it turns into a bunny?"

Harris blanches and looks away quickly. Willow rushes to the side of his chair and wraps him in a hug. "I'm sorry Xander. I totally forgot."

He nods and swallows. "It's ok, Wils." Angel looks confused.

"His bird had a thing about bunnies." I say quietly to Angel. "She died in the battle with the First." He nods and looks back at Xander.

"Remember when she dressed up as a bunny for Halloween?" Buffy asks. Everyone but Angel nods and smiles faintly. "She said it was the most evil thing she could think of." That gets a laugh out of Harris.

The office door swings wide and a cart laden with food is pushed through by a huge yellow demon. Angel motions him toward the low table in front of the couch and he unloads the food and pushes the cart back towards the door. Angel follows him over and claps him on the back. "Thanks, Bob." He closes the door and turns back to the table.

Willow laughs, "Bob? You have a seven foot giant yellow demon working for you named Bob?"

Angel shrugs and smiles, "Well, his language is unpronounceable by anyone with only one tongue, so…. Bob."

* _Hmmm, more than one tongue. Think of the possibilities, pet._ * I leer at Buffy as she turns to look at me.

* _No, you would look too weird, besides you do a pretty good job with the one you have. More than good._ * She smiles and kisses me gently.

Harris sits forward reaches for a plate. "This food isn't gonna eat itself."

Buffy slides off my lap onto the floor in front of the table. She grabs one of the mugs of blood then turns and hands it to me. "You want anything else?"

I lean forward and look over the selection. "I'll take a few of those wings, pet. Thanks."

She puts half a dozen wings on a plate and sets it on my leg with a napkin then loads up a plate and scoots back to lean against the chair in front of me. She wraps one arm around my leg and leans her head on my knee as she nibbles at her food.

I run my fingers through her hair… well… the ones not covered in wing sauce. * _You ok, pet?_ *

* _Yeah, just remembering. Anya was kind of annoying sometimes but I miss her._ *

* _Yeah._ *

* _You better not be getting sauce in my hair, mister._ * I laugh and everyone turns to stare at me.

"They're doing it again. Talking to each other without talking." Willow giggles around a mouthful of food.

"And just when I thought Evil Dead couldn't get more annoying."

"Sod off, whelp."

Angel sips his blood, smiling at the lot of us.

"Sorry to change the subject but we really must discuss this new development in the prophecy." Giles says.

"What new development?" Willow asks.

"I thought that would have been obvious. Buffy is carrying the child of a demon. Remember the passage: _A child sired of a demon?_ That would certainly fit this situation, I would think."

"So, I have to protect Spike's baby from some shape shifting evil thing that can be whatever I think of? Great, just great."

* _WE have to protect, pet. WE._ * She squeezes my leg and plants a kiss on the inside of my knee.

I hear a deep rumbling noise just as the building starts shaking violently. There's the sound of breaking glass and screams coming from the lobby then the glass walls of Angel's office shatter, making the lobby noises louder. Buffy grips my lower leg almost hard enough to break it as the lights blink out and alarms start to sound.

The shaking stops just as Gunn bursts into Angel's office. "Is everybody ok in here?"

Buffy gets up and moves towards the windows as Angel looks around at all of us. "Yeah. I don't smell any blood or pain, so I think we're good." He moves to the door and looks into the lobby then shouts over the noise. "What the hell was that? An earthquake shouldn't set off the security alarms." He leans out into the lobby, "Harmony! You ok?"

I hear a faint, "Yeah, boss."

"Good. Get someone to shut off the damn alarms!"

The alarms finally go silent and the emergency lights come on. "Gunn, find out why the alarms went off. I'll get the medical department mobilized. We've probably got a lot of hurt people. Get Wes to check for damage. Make sure the damn building isn't going to collapse." Angel picks up his phone but apparently it's not working because he slams it back down. "I need to get to medical. Will you all be ok here?"

I stand and move toward the lobby. "Sure, mate. Need us to do anythin'?"

"Could you try to get the lobby organized? See how many people are hurt? I'll send down a medical team."

Willow asks in a shaky voice, "Should we call 911 or something?"

Angel shakes his head. "No, we're self-contained. Let them help the rest of the city."

Buffy turns from her place beside the window. "I don't think the rest of the city needs any help. It doesn't look like anything happened. Look. No stopped cars, no hurt people. Everything looks normal."

We all rush to the window and gape. She's right. Outside the window is a typical LA day. People rushing to get places. Cars, buses and cabs rushing by. No sign that anything traumatic happened at all.

"Bloody hell!"

"It was just us then? How is that possible?" Willow stumbles to a chair and falls into it, shaking with fear.

Angel growls, "I don't know but I'm about to find out." He stalks out of the office shouting orders to the people in the lobby.

We follow him out and start collecting injured people and demons together for the medical team. Most of the injuries aren't very serious, just bumps and bruises. Only one person from the lobby is hurt bad enough to go to the infirmary. His leg was broken when the chandelier fell on him. The lobby is destroyed. Almost every stick of furniture is in shambles and I don't see one unbroken pane of glass in the entire place.

Gunn comes rushing into the lobby out of breath. "Where's Angel?"

"He said he was going to medical." Gunn runs to the stairs and takes them two at a time almost crashing into Angel at the top.

"Angel, something broke out of the basement containment area. Something big. Killed everybody down there and got out through the parking garage."

"Where did it go?"

Gunn shakes his head. "I don't know but we can track it. It's destroying everything it touches."

Angel sprints down the stairs and into his office and comes out with an armful of battle axes. He throws one to me, Harris, Gunn, Buffy and Wes, who's just entered the lobby. Looking at me he says, "You and Harris follow it above ground. I'll take Buffy, Gunn and Wes. Tell Buffy when you find it."

I nod and head for the front door then step out and see the trail of destruction heading up the street. "Looks like it went north." I yell over my shoulder and take off.

I stop at the corner and look for more bashed cars. Harris skids to a stop beside me and points. "Over there."

I nod and we start running in that direction. "Where's Red and Giles?"

"They're going back to the hotel to check on the girls." he pants.

* _Pet, where are you?_ *

* _Just leaving the building. Where are you?_ *

* _Headin' east._ * We follow the trail of smashed cars until we come to another intersection. The trail leads to the right and we pound down the street.

* _It's goin' north again._ * At the far end of the street I see a huge cloud of smoke. It envelopes a car, pauses then moves on. The car is a complete wreck as it comes out of the cloud. "Bloody hell! Is that it?"

Harris nods as the cloud surrounds another car and smashes it to bits. "Looks like, but what's it got against cars?"

A man jogs around the corner directly into the cloud. His screams echo down the street until they're abruptly cut off then the cloud moves on, leaving a bloody pile of meat and bones. "Bloody buggerin' fuck!"

We skid to a stop next to the pile of jogger. "Oh my God." Harris turns and loses his lunch in the street.

"It's turned again. Let's go."

* _East again, luv. It's a cloud of smoke. Just killed a man. Turned him to hamburger._ * Harris catches up to me when I stop at the next corner. "This area look familiar to you?"

He bends over, planting his hands on his knees as he pants, "Yeah, we're about three blocks from the hotel."

We run. * _Hotel. It's headed for the hotel!_ *

We burst through the shattered front doors into a war zone. The lobby is full of roiling smoke and screaming slayers. I see a girl cowering behind one of the couches, grab her and toss her outside. "Stay there!" then vamp and run into the smoke searching for more girls. I can hardly see anything even with the demon so I just follow the screams. The first girl I find is dead; her head nearly twisted clean off. Something runs past me and I grab it and throw it towards the door. I hear a loud grunt and a crash. Harris must have caught her. The smoke is burning my skin like holy water and I'm trying not to breathe because the smoke feels like acid in my lungs.

I trip over a breathing lump and land on another one. I get to my feet, wrap my hands in their clothes and sprint for the doors dragging them behind me. I clear the smoke and almost run over Harris. "Here's two more. Get 'em outside."

I turn and head back into the smoke. I hear screaming off to the left and find three girls crouched in front of the reception desk. One is unconscious so I toss her over my right shoulder, wrap the other two in my left arm and run. I clear the smoke again just as Willow and Giles enter the lobby. Giles takes the unconscious girl and carries her outside and Harris takes the two from my left arm and leads them out.

Willow moves toward the smoke holding her arms away from her sides. I move to grab her and pull her back when I'm suddenly thrown backwards by a flash of electricity. I get back to my feet as she starts murmuring an incantation. She's surrounded by blue electric sparks and her hair has gone completely white. Her words get louder and the bubble of electricity expands as she moves toward the smoke.

She's pushing it back. The air crackles with energy, making every strand of hair on my body stand on end. Willow is shouting now and raises her arms with her palms facing out towards the cloud. She shoots a bolt of electricity into the cloud and it screams. A piercing, inhuman scream that makes my ears bleed.

* _Spike, we're at the hotel. In the basement. Where are you?_ *

* _In the lobby. Don't you come up here!_ *

* _You're hurt. I can feel it. What's happening?_ *

* _Red's fightin' the smoke. You stay down there!_ *

I hear the basement door bang open and look over to see Angel, Wes and Gunn. A bolt of electricity flies through the smoke and explodes the door into splinters. They dive for the floor just as another bolt crashes into the wall behind them.

I shout over the noise, "Get out of there! Move! Now!"

They get to their feet and skirting the smoke cloud, sprint for the front doors. As they pass me I notice a flash of blonde in the basement doorway. I peer through the smoke and see Buffy crouched next to the splintered door. The smoke seems to draw together and floats toward her.

"Buffy!" I scream and run toward her, trying to beat the smoke cloud. She stands and starts to move toward me when the cloud envelopes her. I burst into the cloud, wrap her in my arms and try to drag her out but I can't move. We stand frozen with the cloud swirling around us. I hear thousands of voices screaming in agony, my own among them as the smoke burns my skin away. Buffy is screaming and crying and trying to move. Suddenly we're surrounded by electricity. It sings along our skin and crackles off our fingertips. Willow shouts and the smoke explodes. Buffy and I fall to the floor still thrumming with little sparks of electricity.

The smoke cloud gathers itself near the ceiling but there seems to be much less. A slim tendril descends, curls around my head and whispers to me. "The child is mine, foe. I will have it."

I wave my hand around my head, disrupting the smoke. "Sod off, you buggerin' git! Red, zap it again!"

Willow raises her hands and the smoke shrinks to a small sphere and flies out the door.


	13. Ch 13 Pain

Chapter 13 – Pain

(Spike POV)

"Buffy, luv? Buffy, can you hear me?" * _Buffy! Wake up!_ * Her eyelids flutter and she mumbles something I can't make out. * _Buffy, how are you?_ *

* _Hurts._ *

Buffy's clothes are shredded and she's covered in blood from hundreds of cuts. Her ear has been cut almost completely off and is hanging off the side of her head by just a thin strip of flesh. Deep gashes run down her arms and blood is leaking out of a deep hole in her leg. I strip off what's left of my shirt and press it to the wound in her leg.

Harris drops down beside us and gasps. "God, Buffy! We have to get her to the hospital before she bleeds to death!" He jumps up and runs to the desk searching for the phone.

* _No hospital. Please, Spike._ *

* _Luv, you're hurt pretty bad. We need to get you some help._ *

* _Willow can do it. Get Willow._ *

"Red! Get over here! Buffy needs you!"

Willow kneels next to Buffy, electricity still crackling faintly around her. Her hair is white streaked with red and her eyes are silver as she holds her hands over Buffy and starts chanting. Streams of light emanate from the tips of her fingers and trail over Buffy, lingering on her injuries. Buffy tenses and arches up off the floor.

* _It hurts! Oh God, Spike! It hurts! It hurts!_ *

"Red! You're hurtin' her! Stop!"

"If I stop now, she'll die."

"No she won't, you daft bint! Immortal, remember? At least knock 'er out or somethin'!"

The beams of light wrap around Buffy's head and she drops back to the floor, unconscious. The light moves back over her body healing the cuts. It tugs her ear back into place and seals the wound. The hole in her leg closes over and I remove my shirt then shake it out and hold it up. It's covered in blood and I can see the lobby doors through the holes and tears. I look down at myself and calmly think, _Ah, that explains the holes_. I'm covered in burns, cuts and what look like stab wounds. My jeans are shredded and my legs have long, deep gashes covering them.

Blood on the floor. Mine. I'm sitting in a pool of my own blood.

I don't feel any pain.

Wait… yeah… there it is.

I howl and fall to the floor writhing in agony. Willow shouts and everything goes dark.

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Sirens sound in the distance. Guess Harris found the phone.

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Voices. Some shouting. Some crying. Running feet. Loud sirens.

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Sunlight. Grass. Something biting my leg.

I come to with a roar and launch myself into a crouch, searching for my attacker. I'm in a sunlit field with knee high grass waving in a slight breeze. I'm still wearing my bloody, shredded jeans and I'm covered with injuries but strangely, I feel no pain.

* _Buffy?_ * I stand and turn in a circle. Nothing but grass. * _Pet, can you hear me?_ *

"She can't feel you here, Night Child."

I spin searching for the speaker. Something moves off to my left and I whirl to face it bringing my demon forth.

Nothing.

Small sound in the grass at my feet. I jump back and look down. A white and brown rabbit sits calmly nibbling on the grass. "Who spoke? Who's here? Bloody show yourself!"

The rabbit sits up on its hind legs and looks at me. "The child is mine, vampire."

"What?" I stumble back in surprise. My foot catches on a rock and I fall backwards, landing flat on my back with a thud. When I sit up, gasping for air I don't need, the rabbit is perched on its hind legs between my feet.

It holds up a chewed up piece of grass and points it at me. "I will have it."

"Like hell you will!" I pull back my left foot and piston it out, connecting solidly. The rabbit flies into the air and lands in the grass twenty feet away then bounces and rolls to a stop. I jump back to my feet and stalk toward it, intending to stomp it to death when it starts shaking violently. It's getting bigger. It rolls in the grass screaming and growing as I stand there bug-eyed watching it.

When it finally stops shaking and stands on its huge, fluffy feet, it towers over me. My head tilts back as it glares down at me with shiny silver eyes and I watch, transfixed, as razor sharp talons sprout from its massive paws. Its fluffy bunny tail elongates and sprouts sharp spines along its length then its teeth turn to fangs as it roars and swings at me.

Claws whisper over my head as I duck and spin, using my momentum to swing my fist around and pound it in the middle of its back. It stumbles forward, roaring. I jump and kick it in the head as it turns to face me. The tail whips towards me and slices deep into my thigh. I drop to a crouch and swing my leg out, catching its feet and sending it tumbling. I launch into the air and come down with a blistering punch then straddle it and start punching for all I'm worth.

The tail whips up across my back and sticks there, spines sunk deep. I arch back and reach behind me to pull it loose when the front claws slice across my stomach and catch, tossing me away. I land about ten feet away in a bloody heap, struggling to stay conscious. I stagger slowly back to my feet just in time for the claws to slice my shoulder and upper arm sending me spinning. My feet tangle and I go to my hands and knees, panting and dripping blood in the trampled grass.

The rabbit just stands there watching me bleed for a few minutes then draws its claws viciously down my back in one quick stroke. "The form is set, foe. The child will be mine." A massive foot draws up and crashes down onto my back, collapsing me and burying my face in the dirt. "Mine."

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Voices again. Quiet. Soothing.

I try to open my eyes but they apparently aren't cooperating with me. My mouth won't move either. I can't feel anything. I try to concentrate on the voices to suss out where I am, but they're too faint, just murmurs. I try to breathe in, to sniff, but I can't draw air. Where the bloody hell am I? I hear a heartbeat. Close. Then another, smaller and faster.

* _Buffy? Pet? Are you there?_ *

"Spike! I'm here."

* _Where's here?_ *

"Wolfram and Hart. In the infirmary."

* _Why can't I move?_ *

"Willow did a spell on you. You were thrashing around and something kept cutting you. You bled so much." This last bit comes out as a sob.

* _Are you ok? You were all cut up._ *

"I'm fine. Willow fixed me up. She tried to heal you too, but it didn't work."

* _What about the others? Niblet?_ *

"Dawn's ok. She wasn't at the hotel. She was with Andrew and Kennedy getting coffee. All the girls you pulled out of the smoke will be ok. We put the talisman on each one and it healed them right up. Giles is shipping them to England as soon as the Watcher's Council can make room at the academy. We lost the rest." She sobs quietly. I want to hold her.

* _Can you get Red to let me loose?_ *

"Not yet. If you move at all you'll tear open the stitches. Took the doctors nearly nine hours to sew you back together and Willow's spell is blocking the pain."

* _Can you at least get her to let my mouth go so I can talk?_ *

"Sorry, but there's a tube down your throat feeding you my blood, so you couldn't talk anyway."

* _Your blood? How long have I been here? How bad am I hurt?_ *

"Eight days and really bad. You have burns, deep cuts and gouges all over you. The doctors have you lying on your side because you were cut front and back. The ones on your back are the worst."

* _Can you open my eyes? I want to see you._ * Suddenly I'm blinded by bright light. Something shades my eyes until they adjust and I can focus. Buffy. Her hair's short and she has angry red lines all over her face and neck. * _You're beautiful, pet. Love the new 'do._ *

She blushes and giggles, "Yeah, that smoke thing really did a number on my hair so I had to cut it off. The doctors think the scars will fade after a while but they can't be sure."

Voices behind me. Willow and Xander. Suddenly a mess of red hair with a huge smile pops in front of my eyes. "Spike! You're awake, finally!"

* _Tell her hello and thanks for me, would you? Also, I need to blink. Can she release my eyes?_ *

"Spike says hi and thanks, Willow, and can you release his eyes?"

"Oh yeah, no problem." Willow closes her eyes and covers mine with her hands. She mumbles a few words and I see a small flash of light. I blink and my lashes tickle her palms. She pulls her hands away, giggling.

Xander's face slides into my field of vision "Fang Boy! 'Bout time you woke up! Must say I like the whole not speaking thing you've got going on."

* _Tell him to sod off._ *

"Spike says..."

"Yeah, yeah. Sod off, whelp. I know."

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Five days later, I'm still in hospital. Willow finally released me this morning but I still can't move much. The first few minutes after the spell was removed were blinding agony but the pain has subsided enough to be tolerable now. I've spent the last five days laying about watching telly. Xander bought me the Passions box set so I've been re-watching episodes and catching up on ones I missed.

Dawn and Giles came by yesterday. Dawn started crying when she saw how beat up I was and gave me a hug although I couldn't feel it. At least she didn't see me right after. Buffy said she kept everyone away for days after Willow locked me down. Giles wanted to talk about what happened but agreed to wait until I was well enough for Willow to cut me loose. They still haven't removed the soddin' tube though, so I still can't talk. I'm thinking Harris bribed them to leave it in a bit longer.

Buffy's been here the whole time. They moved a bed next to mine for her to sleep on. They draw blood from her twice a day to push down my feeding tube, only a cup or two at a time, but I can see it's wearing on her. She looks too thin and has constant bags under her eyes. I finally told her to go and get something good to eat. Eating for two, yeah? She didn't want to leave but Willow was finally able to drag her out of here as long as I promised not to die in the next half hour or so.

Doc is coming. He's going to remove the tube now. Bloody hell! Didn't think it would hurt but it did. Didn't help that I clenched and strained the stitches on my back. Sometimes having no reflection really sucks balls. Wish I could see what I look like back there for it to hurt so bloody much. Still can't lie on my back and I can't get comfortable at all on my side. I slowly move to my stomach and try to find a non-painful position. I finally get somewhat settled and close my eyes. Just for a bit, 'til Buffy gets back.


	14. Ch 14 Bandages

Chapter 14 – Bandages

(Spike POV)

I ease down onto the couch in our flat. Angel's put us all up at Wolfram and Hart for protection because he doesn't think it's safe at the hotel. Yeah, me either. I'm still so bandaged that I look like an extra in a mummy movie, but things are finally healing. My back is the worst, still. I have to sit sideways and lean my side against the back of the couch to avoid putting any pressure on my stitches and Buffy usually sits in front of me and lets me lean on her a bit. She looks better, but she's still a little pale. I'm only drinking from her once a day now. The rest is bagged blood from the blood bank. I'm back on human blood until I'm completely healed.

The mini slayers have been shipped across the pond to England to start their lessons at the rebuilt Watcher's Academy. It wasn't really set up to train Slayers, but they're adjusting. Gonna have to. More new Slayers show up every day. Must number in the hundreds by now. Dawn and Andrew went with them to train as Watchers. Dawn didn't want to go until after the baby was born, but we all decided it was best to get her somewhere safe.

Someone's knocking. Giles. It's time to talk about what happened and what to do about it. I've been out of hospital for almost a month, but Red, Harris, and Giles were in England getting everyone settled and didn't get back until early this morning.

"Come in, Watcher." The door opens and in walks Giles, Harris, Willow, and Kennedy. The whole gang. Well almost. Yep, there's Angel with Wes and Gunn. "Where's Fred? Shouldn't she be here, too?"

Angel nods back over his shoulder. "She will be. She was finishing up something in the lab. She said about ten minutes."

"Kennedy, what are you doin' here? Thought you'd be trainin' with the others."

"I didn't want to stay over there when Willow is here. Giles said I could train with Gunn."

Willow goes to the kitchen and rounds up drinks for everyone as they get settled. We chat about daily stuff until Fred breezes in and plops down on the floor in front of Wesley's chair.

It's time, but no one quite knows where to begin. Finally Giles speaks up. "Does everyone here know about the prophecy we're currently dealing with?" Mostly nods, one or two shrugs. "I'll recap then. Buffy's Slayer scythe and Spike's talisman are linked. They were forged together and they're tied to a prophecy that says the Night Child, which we have ascertained to be Spike, and the Immortal Slayer, Buffy, are to protect the child sired of the demon from the Great Evil. If the child dies, the world will be plunged into 1000 years of darkness. Questions so far?"

No one speaks.

"On then. We have found the child in question, and we believe the Great Evil is what attacked us at the hotel. Willow did a good job of knocking it back, but it wasn't destroyed, so we will have to deal with it again in the future. When, we're not sure, but seeing that it wants the child, it will probably be sometime after it's born. The prophecy states that it will take its form from the mind of its foe."

"Where is the child?" Fred asks.

Oh, not everyone knows about this. Great. Here we go again. "Red, I believe that's your cue, but can we get the Reader's Digest condensed version this time?"

Willow smirks, "Um, ok. Buffy is pregnant. Spike is the father. Their baby is the child. Condensed enough for ya?"

"No need to get shirty, Red. Just gettin' tired of rehashin' this."

Fred looks confused. "Um, how is Spike the father? I didn't think vampires could have kids."

I shake my head, "Normally we can't, but short version; my talisman healed my seed and made it viable again. Tada, Vampire Daddy."

"Um, ok."

Giles nods. "Moving on then. At the end of the attack on the hotel, the smoke demon surrounded Buffy and Spike. Wesley and I believe it was at this time it found the child and the foe. After Willow rescued them and drove the demon off, she was healing Buffy when Spike passed out and started having seizures. During the seizures, something was attacking him and injured him quite badly; injuries he has yet to fully recover from nearly six weeks after the fact, even on a diet of Slayer blood."

Fred speaks up. "I thought vampires healed rather quickly, especially if they're well fed."

I smile down at her, "If I'd gotten these injuries from a human or your run of the mill demon, I would've been healed inside a week, ten days tops, even on pig's blood."

Giles asks, "What happened when you were unconscious? Do you remember any of it?"

I snort, "Yeah, I remember bleedin' all of it. I woke up in a field with a rabbit. The rabbit told me it was gonna get the child. I said _like hell you are_ and punted it across the field. It went Incredible Hulk on me, kicked my arse and I woke up in hospital." Wide-eyed stares all around. "Oh, it also said _The form is set, foe_ right before it stomped me into the dirt."

Xander's eyes are as wide as saucers as he asks in a horrified, trembling voice, "You turned the Great Evil into a bunny rabbit? Why?"

"Didn't do it on purpose, ya git. Anya and her bunny phobia was the last thing we talked about 'fore the shit hit the fan. I kept thinkin' 'bout evil bunnies; picturin' 'em with claws and fangs and whatnot. Probably why it pulled that picture out of my head."

Giles pulls out a notepad. "Please describe this thing for us, if you would."

"About four meters tall, razor sharp fangs and claws. It doesn't have the typical bunny tail; it's long and covered in sharp spines. Regular ears and fur. No armor or anythin' like that. Not very fast. I think if I had a weapon and could stay away from the claws and tail, I could kill it. Fists and fangs won't be enough."

Giles nods as he writes furiously on the pad. "Hopefully it will be some time before we have to test that theory and hopefully you won't have to fight it alone."

Xander shifts uncomfortably in his chair, "Shouldn't we try to find it and kill it before it comes after Buffy?"

Giles sighs, "We could try, I suppose, but it's been my experience that prophecies generally play out as they are written. Having said that, I don't think it could hurt to try. Wesley, Willow and I will research and see if we can do anything. In the meantime, I suggest that Spike and Buffy don't leave the building on the off chance that Evil Bunny tries to advance the timetable."

I nod emphatically, "Done, Rupes. Don't fancy being sliced up again anytime soon." That seems to bring the meeting to a close and everyone gets up and heads for the door. Angel opens it and startles the nurse standing in the hallway about to knock.

She looks shyly at the floor. "Um, Mr. Angel, sir, I... I'm here to change Mr. Spike's bandages."

Angel steps back motions toward the living room, "Please come in." The nurse slips in and stands quietly by the door while everyone else files out. Wes closes the door behind him and the nurse doesn't move so Angel gently takes her elbow and guides her away from the door. "Just call me Angel. Spike's on the sofa."

"Come on over, pet. I don't bite… well… not anymore." She looks a little confused and walks toward me slowly, glancing back at Angel.

Angel sits back down as Buffy gets up and places a straight back chair in the middle of the room for me to sit on. I get up and straddle the chair with my arms up on the back. The nurse moves around behind me and starts to unwind and peel off the bandages. I wince and grip the chair back several times as the tape is pulled off. "I'm sorry, Mr. Spike. I don't mean to hurt you."

"S'ok, pet, not your fault, and please call me Spike. The beautiful lady in the kitchen is my Buffy, and you've already met Angel. What's your name, luv?"

"Melinda Jenkins."

"Nice to meet you, Melinda. How long have you worked for the poof?" Angel glares at me.

"The poof, sir?"

"Angel."

"Oh, I was hired last week. Today is my second day."

"What made you want to work for a vampire?"

"Sir?"

"Angel. He's a vampire. So am I."

"You… you're both vampires?" Her voice shakes just a bit and I can feel her fear. "Nobody told me that, they just said to come up here and change your bandages. Nobody told me Mr. Angel was a vampire either."

I turn to look at her, "If you didn't know about any of this, then how'd you hear about the job, and how did you know who Angel was?"

She blushes and looks down at the floor, "Uh… there was an ad in the paper. I wondered why a law firm needed a nurse, but I figured I'd check it out, and the money is good. I know who Mr. Angel is because the nurse that gave me my orientation yesterday showed me a picture of him. She said to stay out of his way."

I chuckle, "I think your life's about to get a lot more interestin', pet."

Her voice is getting shakier and she moves away from me slightly, "You're a vampire? Like a real… vampire?"

I smile at her in what I hope is a reassuring manner. "Don't be afraid, luv. Not gonna hurt you. Don't eat humans anymore, I'm reformed, I am." She glances nervously over at Angel. "Peaches won't hurt you either, pet. No need to be afraid." She giggles a little when I say 'Peaches' and Angel throws me another glare.

She finishes pulling off the bandages and gently cleans the wounds. Buffy comes out of the kitchen with a Polaroid and snaps a shot of my back. Melinda puts new bandages on my back and asks me to turn around so she can bandage my arm, shoulder and stomach. Buffy comes back in with two mugs of blood and sits down in the chair beside me. Angel and I sip the blood and I try not to wince as she pulls the tape off.

Buffy asks, "So, Melinda, have you ever seen a vampire before?"

"N… No. I mean, I've seen pictures and movies, but never a real one."

"Spike, why don't you show her your game face?"

"Melinda, would you like to see? I don't want to frighten you, luv."

"O... Only if you want to, sir."

I bring forth my demon and she gasps and pulls back just a little. Her eyes travel over the bumpies on my forehead, settle for a moment on my eyes, then she leans in and focuses on my fangs. "Does it hurt when you bite? I mean, does it hurt the person you're biting?"

Buffy shakes her head. "Only if he wants it to. He's a Master Vampire, so he has a lot more control of his demon than younger vampires, called fledglings, do. It doesn't hurt at all when he bites me."

Melinda's eyes get wide. "H... He bites you?"

Buffy leans forward, moving the shirt away from her neck, to show Melinda my mark. "He bit me because I wanted him to. It's called Claiming. We're Mated. It's kind of like marriage, but vampire mating is for life. He also bites me sometimes if he's hurt, because my blood will heal him faster than any other."

I look at Angel and smirk. I think the birds have forgotten we're here.

"So, you're a vampire too?"

"No, I'm the Vampire Slayer." Buffy laughs. "It's complicated. Normally, Slayers don't fall in love with vampires; they dust them, but Spike and Angel aren't your average vampires. You couldn't go up to any vampire on the street and expect them to be like these two. They'd just drain you and dump your body."

"Why are they different?"

"They both have a soul. Other vampires don't and they kill with no remorse at all. Spike and Angel both killed lots of people before they got their souls back, but now they're fighting against evil and don't kill humans anymore."

Melinda nods then looks at me, "How old are you, sir, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I was born in 1852 and turned in 1880. I've been round the block a time or two. Angel's even older than I am; he's got just over a century on me. He's my Grandsire."

"Grandsire?"

"Our family line. If I were to turn you into a vamp I'd be your Sire and you'd be my Childe. I was sired by Drusilla who was sired by Angelus, so he's the Sire of my Sire. Like your father's father."

"Who's Angelus?"

"That's what Angel was called before he got his soul."

Melinda leans in very close to me and whispers, "He's very quiet."

I whisper back, "Yeah, never was much of a talker, that one, but he's a good bloke, if you can get past the broodiness." I hear Angel chuckle quietly.

She whispers so low I almost don't hear it. "Is he seeing anyone?"

I chuckle, "No, but I thought that other nurse told you to stay out of his way."

She shrugs, "Never was much good at listening to dried up old biddies. He's cute and seems nice. I think she's just scared of him." I smirk over at Angel who grins back at me and nods.

Melinda smiles and leans back. "Ok, sir. I'm done with these, now I need to change the one on your leg." She motions shyly towards my pants. I'm only wearing a pair of sweats. I don't mind shucking them off and sitting there bare-arsed, but I'm afraid of frightening the bird. For a nurse, she seems to be pretty nervous.

"Excuse me a mo', would ya, pet?" I get up and go to the bedroom to find something else to put on.

Buffy follows me and starts rummaging around in a box in the corner. "Found them!" She holds up a brand new package of tighty whiteys. I shuck off my sweats as she rips open the package and hands a pair over to me. I put them on and look down at myself.

"Gah, I might as well be starkers!" _Tighty_ doesn't even begin to describe it. These things hug me so close a person could tell my religion from twenty paces. I duck into the bathroom, grab one of the huge fluffy towels off the shelf, and wrap it around me so that the opening is on the leg with the bandage. "That's better."

I turn toward the door and hear low voices. Angel is asking Melinda if she wants to go for coffee or something. I smile as I head back out to the living room, plop down on the chair, and uncover the bandage so Melinda can get to work. She pulls off the bandage and cleans the wound. "This one doesn't look too bad. We probably don't need to re-bandage it, unless you think your clothing might irritate it."

* _I don't plan on you wearing any clothes for a while, so leave it off._ *

I swallow and try to bunch the towel up over my suddenly hard length. "Uh… I think we can do without it, luv."

"Just let me know if it starts bothering you and I'll put a bandage on it." She stands and extends her hand to me. "Thank you, sir, for telling me about vampires, I really enjoyed our conversation." She nods to Buffy. "And thank you, ma'am, for answering my questions. I appreciate it."

"No problem, Melinda, and you really don't have to call us sir and ma'am. Spike and Buffy is just fine. If you have any more questions or just want to hang out and talk, we'll be here. It was nice talking to you too."

Angel helps Melinda gather up her supplies and opens the door for her. She smiles shyly up at him as she walks out. He takes her elbow and they walk up the hallway, talking quietly. Buffy locks the door behind them and turns back to me.

She crosses the room, takes my hand and pulls me out of the chair. She pulls off the towel and tosses it on the couch then steps back and looks me up and down. * _Mmmm._ * She licks her lips and motions for me to turn around, then steps up behind me and wraps her arms around me, careful not to press into my back. She caresses my chest around the bandages, then slides her hands down my sides and over my hips, gripping my ass through the underwear. * _Such a nice ass._ * Her hands slide around the front and start rubbing me through the cloth. She uses her fingernails to scratch over my cock and trails them down to tease my balls. This is incredible. I never knew wearing knickers could be so... pleasurable.

She moves around to the front and reaches up to kiss me then tangles her hands in my hair and pulls me closer while my hands find the bottom of her shirt and pull it over her head. I caress down her sides and back up to cup her breasts, teasing the nipples with my thumbs as she moans and leans into my hands. I slip my hands into the waistband of her pants and ease them down her hips. She shimmies until they fall to the floor then steps out of them and kicks them aside. My turn to look. I step back and look her up and down. Faint red scars cover her from head to toe but she's still so gorgeous. I curl my tongue behind my teeth and leer down at her. * _My beautiful Slayer._ * The scent of her arousal suddenly gets stronger.

She steps forward, hooks her thumbs in the waistband of my knickers and quickly slides them off. She pulls me to the chair, sits me down and positions herself over my waiting shaft then wraps her arms around my neck and slowly guides herself down onto my cock. "Oh God, Buffy!" I moan as she slowly rides me. I grip her round the waist and thrust into her. She moans, "Harder, Spike!" but I can't get the right leverage without putting too much pressure on my back.

I hook my arms under her legs, stand and press her against the wall near the door. Bracing my hands on the wall, I thrust harder, slamming into her hard enough to rattle the door in the frame. "Spike... aaahhh... Spike! Bite me!" I lean in, release my demon and sink my fangs into her neck as I thrust into her. She screams my name and comes; her walls convulsing around my cock. I thrust once more and explode with a roar. I thrust a few more times as I lean in and lick the blood from her neck then collapse against her. She raises my head away from her neck and gives me a long, slow kiss. "I love you, Spike. Always."

"I love you too, Buffy. Longer than always." I smile at her and she giggles and kisses me again.

My legs start to tremble, so I pull out of her and set her on the floor. "Need to sit down, pet. My legs don't want to hold me up anymore." I turn towards the couch but she takes my hand and leads me to the bedroom.

"You need to rest, Spike." She gets me settled in with the remote and leans down for a long kiss. "I'm gonna take a shower then I'll get us some lunch. You'll need your strength for later." She trails her fingers down my chest and nibbles at my earlobe then jumps up and goes into the bathroom.

Rest. Yeah, right. How am I supposed to do that with a cock suddenly standing at attention? I shift and try to find a comfortable position that doesn't put too much pressure on my back, flip on the telly and start the next episode of Passions. I'm asleep before the opening credits finish rolling.


	15. Ch 15 Stitches

Chapter 15 – Stitches

(Spike POV)

Someone knocking on the door. Sniff. Melinda's here to change my bandages again. Angel's with her. Been three days since she was here last and they're getting a mite raggedy.

I untangle myself from Buffy and get up off the sofa, looking around the floor for something to put on. Right. No clothes anywhere out here. Haven't had a stitch on in the last three days. Buffy put a note on the door saying I needed my rest and not to disturb us. Only thing to come through that door have been meal carts. Haven't been getting an abundance of rest, either. Working around my injuries has been a headache, but my girl is nothing if not inventive.

"Buffy, luv, wake up. Melinda's here to change my bandages. I'm gonna go get somethin' on." I open the door and peek around it. "Just a sec, pet. Gotta go get decent."

I slip into a pair of jeans just as Buffy enters the bedroom and crawls into bed. I jog back out to the living room and swing open the door for Melinda and Angel. "Melinda, please come in. Forehead! What brings you round today?"

He grins, "Just checking to see if you two were alright. Nobody has seen you for three days. Heard you, but not seen you. Kennedy keeps asking if we have a wild animal loose in here. She keeps hearing roaring."

I mutter under my breath, "Bloody bint." as I close the door and motion for Angel to have a seat. "We're fine, Peaches. Just gettin' some rest and relaxation, yeah?"

"Rest. Right. Where's Buffy?"

"Resting."

"Uh-huh."

I drag my straight back chair out and straddle it for bandage changing. The tape doesn't hurt quite as bad coming off this time, but a lot of it was starting to peel off anyway. Melinda cleans the wounds and pats them dry. "These are looking much better. Actually, they look a lot better than I expected them to. Whatever you've been doing, it's working."

I flip my eyes to Angel and smirk. "Guess I'll have to _keep it up_ then, eh pet?" Angel glowers.

Melinda starts to unwrap a new bandage for my back. "Hold on a mo', luv. Angel, could you grab that Polaroid off the counter there and take a snap? Buffy's been snappin' pics for me so I can see how I'm healin'. Made my own bloody little flipbook with 'em."

He shows me the picture as Melinda bandages me up. The cuts look like they're finally closed, but they're still red and raw, and the stitches make me look like Frankenstein's monster. I really wish I hadn't been wearing the bleedin' talisman during my Evil Bunny scrap. I'd be healed now, instead of being tended to and bandaged.

At least the cuts don't hurt as much anymore, I'm able to lean on them for a little while. Melinda pats the last of the tape in place and asks me to turn around. She strips the bandages off my arm, shoulder, and stomach then cleans me up. "The stitches are ready to come out of your arm and shoulder and most of your stomach. Just this section on the right looks like it might need to stay stitched for a while. Let me go get some supplies and we'll get those out of there. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Angel and I just sit. Waiting. "So, anythin' new to report?"

He nods, "We think we might have found it holed up in a cave north of here. The seers and witches have been working around the clock trying to track it. I'm sending a team out in the morning to check it out."

"Want me along?"

"No. You and Buffy need to stay here until we're sure we've found it. Besides, you're in no shape to fight."

"Alright, no argument here. Any news on the home front? A lady friend, perhaps?" I wink at him. "You looked pretty interested in Melinda the other day."

Angel gets a goofy grin on his face. "She's smart, sweet, and beautiful, but you know I can't, Spike. I won't risk it again. Not after last time. We're just friends."

"Ah, so you're just gonna be broody and cross for the rest of your unlife? You're tellin' me, with all the resources available here, that no one can figure a way around that soddin' curse?"

He shrugs, "Maybe."

"You should have someone look into it, mate. Then you could find someone to put a smile on that great ugly mug of yours. Maybe someone like Melinda."

Melinda raps quietly and opens the door carrying a small black pouch. She flicks her eyes at Angel then looks quickly at the floor, hiding a blush, as she sits down next to my arm, pulls out a bunch of pointy tools and goes to work. I wince a little as the smaller stitches are pulled, but manage to get through the arm and shoulder without too much pain. She asks me to lie down on the couch for the stomach work, then kneels on the floor and leans over me, tugging and pulling. These stitches are a bit bigger, and I wince and curse under my breath on almost every one. She tugs the one closest to my belly button and I draw in a quick breath. "Hurt?"

"Yeah, just a little."

"You want me to try to ease it out or just pull it out fast?"

"Just do it fast, yeah? Get it over with?"

"Ok, on the count of three. Ready? One." She yanks the stitch.

I bolt up, clutching my stomach, and roar. "Bloody hell, woman! You said on three!"

Tears well up in her eyes and she turns away. "I.. I'm sorry, sir… er… I mean Spike… uh… sir. Um, I'll go. I.. I'll get someone else to finish." She stands and heads for the door. I start to go after her, but Angel gets there first.

He stands in front of her and puts a hand on her arm, then tilts her chin up to look at him. "Melinda, it's ok. Spike's fine. It just startled him and he doesn't want you to go." He looks at me with hard eyes. "Right, Spike?"

"Uh… right… Angel." What's this? I look closely at Angel. He's looking down at her with what seems like affection, then smiles at her. Smiles? The Great Poof? King of the Broody Bastards is actually smiling? Yeah… just friends. Right.

Tears are streaming down her face, and she still looks ready to run, so Angel pulls her into a hug and just stands there holding her and rubbing her back while she cries into his chest. Should give 'em some space. "Um, Buffy's calling to me. Be right back." I get up, go to the bedroom and close the door. Buffy's still asleep. I stand behind the door, listening.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't be crying like this. Especially not in front of you, Angel. I'm sorry."

"I don't mind if you cry. Can you tell me what's wrong?"

"I just want to do a good job. I've always wanted to be a nurse, but I'm just horrible at it! I know what to do; I just can't do it without hurting him! He's my first patient and I've done nothing but cause him pain!"

"Melinda, you don't need to worry about Spike. He'll be fine. You didn't hurt him, not really. He's just as tough as any other vampire, but he's also the most human vampire I've ever met. I think his human side is present a lot more than his demon side. He'll be fine and you should stay."

I hear her breathe deeply and sigh. "Ok, I'll stay. Thanks, Angel."

I open the door a crack, just in time to see Angel brush a tear away from Melinda's cheek with his thumb. He looks at her for a long time, then bends down and kisses her lightly. She looks up at him in surprise, only pausing for a moment before her hands snake into his hair and pull him into another kiss. He teases her mouth open and the kiss deepens. He kisses across her jaw to her ear, then nips and sucks on the lobe as his hand caresses down her back and cups her ass. He nips and licks down her neck, then growls when she presses into him and grinds her hip against his crotch.

I _accidentally_ kick over a box with a loud crash and watch them break apart. Buffy mumbles something and I quickly walk over and give her a kiss. "S'ok pet, go back to sleep." I walk back to the door and swing it open, revealing Angel back in his chair, and Melinda kneeling by the couch wiping her face and waiting for me.

I lie down on the couch and look at her tear-stained face. "Sorry I shouted, pet. Just startled me a bit, is all. You're doin' a fine job." She's looking at the floor, so I reach over and lift her chin to look at me, then smile and give her a little wink. She smiles back, grabs one of her little pointy tools and starts in again. I try very hard not to wince.

Twenty minutes later, has most of my stitches out except the one patch Melinda said should stay. Angel has had a dreamy, far off look on his face the whole time. He smiles every time Melinda looks at him and she blushes. She puts a new bandage on my stomach, but says my arm and shoulder are ok without one. She starts gathering her supplies, and I hop up and motion for Angel to join me in the kitchen.

"Think maybe it's time to see a man about a curse, yeah?"

He smiles at me, "Yeah. Thanks, Spike. So what did Buffy want?"

"Uh, nothin' really. She wasn't awake."

"Thought so. Thanks again, William."

He follows Melinda out into the hall, with his hand on her back, and they walk up the hall, talking and laughing. King Broody; laughing. Will wonders never cease?

I warm myself a cup of blood and walk to the bedroom. I pick up the box I kicked over then lean against the wall, sipping my blood and watching Buffy sleep. She rolls over, reaches toward my side of the bed, and frowns when she finds it empty, so I put down the cup, strip off my jeans and crawl in beside her. I wrap my arm over her and snuggle her up to me then fall asleep to the sound of two heartbeats.


	16. Ch 16 Minions

Chapter 16 – Minions

Gah, just stake me. Please.

I've spent the last two hours fetchin' drinks and nibbles like a bloody servin' wench for a room full of chatterin' birds all fussing and cooing over little baby stuff. Of course Peaches, the whelp, and the Watcher were suddenly _busy_ and couldn't help out. Bloody tossers.

Buffy holds up a pack of nappies and carries on like she hasn't already opened half a dozen packages just like it. How can she be so enamored of nappies considering what they're used for? Back when I was human, blokes didn't have to deal with soddin' baby showers. I'm not even sure what women used for nappies back then, but I damn sure know they didn't have bleedin' cartoon characters all over 'em.

* _Spike! Aren't these just the cutest things you've ever seen?_ * She's waving a pair of tiny booties at me.

I smile at her. * _Not even close, luv._ * She grins back at me, her face just glowing. Her hair has grown out some and most of the smaller scars have faded a little. Her belly's full and rounded and fills out the flowing, flowery shirt she's wearing. The tyke must be asleep because his heartbeat has slowed a little, although I don't know how he manages in all this noise.

Angel set us up in the largest conference room in the building, and half of Wolfram and Hart must be here. Well, the female half anyway. Don't know any of 'em here except Red, Kennedy, Fred, and Melinda and I'm the only bloke in attendance. Angel was going to send the kitchen staff in to serve, but Willow and Kennedy said they were hosting so they'd handle it. Yeah, they handled it by roping me into it.

My vamp hearing picks up a conversation between two birds over in the corner.

"Isn't he hot? Look at those cheekbones!"

"What about that chest? Wish I could see what's under that shirt."

"Hell, I'd love to see what's under the shirt and in those jeans. Do you see how tight they are?

"Does he work here? I think I've seen him around somewhere. Maybe I should ask him out."

"I saw him first, so I get to ask him out!"

* _Spike, could you bring another pitcher of punch? This one's gone. And maybe some more of those little sandwiches?_ *

I growl and grab a fresh pitcher and a plate of tiny sandwiches with what looks like cucumbers in 'em. * _Anythin' for you, m'lady._ * I replace the empties and walk behind Buffy's chair.

I lean down to give her a quick kiss on the head and she reaches up, grabs the back of my neck, turns, and plants one on me. * _I love you, Spike. Thanks for doing all this._ *

* _Not a problem, pet. Happy to serve my lady._ * And I am. That's the thing. Sure, I may grumble and growl, but William the Bloody – Master Vampire, the Big Bad, is happiest when I'm takin' care of Buffy. Funny how things work out, innit? I walk back over to the serving area, with an ear bent to the chits in the corner, and wait for the next order.

"Well, that sucks."

Melinda happens to be walking by and asks, "What sucks?"

"That hot waiter was just macking on the pregnant chick."

"So? Why does that suck?"

"Because he's totally hot. Wonder if he'd go out with me anyway? Probably not getting any from her as big as she is."

Melinda's hands settle on her hips as she glares at the two women. "Who are you? Do you work here?"

"Yeah, we both work in the mail room. Why do you care?"

I can feel the anger rolling off her in waves. "Um, the _pregnant chick_ is Buffy Summers. The _hot waiter_ is William, her husband. They're both good friends of Angel, your boss. If you don't know who they are then why are you even here?"

"Some chickie from the kitchen staff told us about all the food they were making for this, so we thought we'd check it out. I don't see what the big deal is."

Even from across the room, I can feel that Mel's about to lose it. "The big deal is you don't come to a party that you weren't invited to, for a woman you don't know, and then drool over her husband!"

"Geez, lady, get a grip. It's not like she even cares, and Mr. Angel isn't here anyway, and who the hell are you?"

I decide I better do something before the situation gets out of hand. Don't need a catfight in the middle of Buffy's baby shower. I quickly walk up behind Melinda and wrap her in a hug. "Mel! How are you?"

I release her and she turns to face me with a big smile. "I'm good. How are you healing up?"

"Not bad. Since you took the last of the stitches out, the scars have faded quite a bit. Want to see?" She nods and I strip my shirt off and stand while she circles me, looking at my scars. The two mail-room birds gape at my naked torso covered in silvery lines.

* _Spike? Why are you standing there, without your shirt, letting those two girls ogle you?_ *

I smirk over at her and wink, * _They were tryin' to decide which of 'em gets to date me, then got shirty when you kissed me. Mel called 'em on it and they were givin' her a hard time, so I thought I'd mess 'em about a bit._ *

Buffy laughs. * _You're evil._ *

* _What can I tell you, baby? I've always been bad._ *

Melinda traces her fingers over the worst of my scars, "Do they still hurt?"

I shake my head and try not to twitch under her feather light touch. "No, not at all. They've healed up right nice. Now that they are, I've been trainin' with Gunn tryin' to get back in shape."

I hear one of the bints whisper, "If this is him **out** of shape, then Oh My God!"

I slip my shirt back over my head. "I should spar with Angel; I have to hold back too much with Gunn. Where is Peaches anyway?"

"A nest of vamps was attacking clubbers downtown. He took Wes, Xander, and Gunn to clean them out."

"The Great Poof. He gets a bit of rough and tumble and I'm here playin' hot waiter." I wink at Mel and she grins.

We hear a sharp intake of breath and then, "He heard us? How? He was way over there!"

Mel turns around and glares. "He heard you because he's a vampire. Show 'em, Spike."

I step up and fang out, snarling. Their eyes get wide and they scrabble backwards.

Mel steps closer. "Now, since you weren't invited to this party, but you're here anyway, then you must be the help, right?"

They both shake their heads and start to rise out of their chairs, "Um, no, we'll just leave."

Mel steps back a little and taps her chin like she's considering something, "Well, here's the thing. You can help Spike serve food to the people who were _actually_ invited or you can leave. But if you leave, then I'll be upset and have to tell Angel all about it when I get back to OUR apartment. You remember Angel, right? The head of this entire firm? Angel hates to see me upset. So, ladies, what's your final answer?"

They look at each other and seem to come to a decision. "What do we do first?"

I lose the fangs and point to the vat of punch. "You can start by refillin' all the punch pitchers, then take new plates of nibbles out and bring back the empties. When that's done, report back to me." The girls groan as they stand up and set to work.

Mel chuckles, "You're pretty good at giving orders, Spike."

I shrug, "Yeah, back when I was evil, I had minions not much brighter than those two. Bloody pain in the arse most of the time." I smile at Mel, put my arm around her shoulders and give her a squeeze. "Any luck fixin' Angel's curse?"

She nods, "Willow found a spell, but we have to wait for the quarter moon to cast it. It'll dispel the curse and anchor Angel's soul. No more threat of Angelus."

"That's some damn fine news, pet! I'm happy for you both. How's Forehead takin' it?"

"He's a little nervous, I think. He's lived with the curse for over a century, so he's not sure it can really be removed."

"Red's a pretty powerful witch, luv. I'd lay odds she could do it by herself without a spell. Havin' a spell just locks it. 'Sides, she's already re-souled 'im twice."

Mel nods then shrugs, "He's still not completely convinced and wants me to pick a seer for full-time _does Angel still have his soul_ duty after the spell is cast. I have to pick so Angelus won't know who it is if he does come back."

"It's a sound plan, pet. One thing I'd change, though. I'll pick the seer. If 'Gelus comes back and you know who the seer is, he'll just torture you for the information, then kill you and the seer to protect his secret.

She shakes her head as her eyes fall to the floor. "He wouldn't. He loves me."

I reach out and gently place my fingers on her chin then raise her eyes to mine. "_Angel_ loves you, pet. _Angelus_ doesn't love anyone or anything. He's a right bastard. Completely merciless and sadistic and he'd kill everyone in this room without a second thought. I hunted with 'im for over twenty years 'fore he got the soul, luv, I should know."

"Wouldn't he just torture you if you pick the seer?"

I shrug, "Probably, but I can take quite a lot of pain, and I've been tortured by 'im before, so he wouldn't be able to get anythin' out of me for a while. I'd keep 'im busy 'til you lot could get somewhere safe." Of course I don't tell her that if Angelus comes back he wouldn't come after me first. He'd go after Buffy or the tyke to get me to talk. Willow's spell better work.

She wraps me in a hug. "Thanks, Spike. I'll tell him." She walks back to her chair beside Willow and I heave a loud sigh as I go check on my minions.

XXXXX

XXXXX

Thank the Powers for vampire strength. Again. Why is it that the smallest humans seem to need the most stuff? I stagger through the door and drop the last load of gift bags from the shower. The living room of our flat is piled high with bags and boxes and cartons of baby things. The furniture was delivered yesterday, and Buffy is bustling back and forth getting things set up. There isn't anywhere to sit in the living room, so I head tiredly for the bedroom, flopping face first on the bed.

* _Spike?_ *

* _Yeah, pet?_ *

* _Can you come help me for a minute?_ *

I growl and roll over, heaving myself to my feet with an exhausted sigh. * _Sure, luv._ *

She's standing in the middle of the nursery, staring at the furniture. I walk up behind her, put my hands on her belly and nibble at her earlobe. "How're you and Spike Jr.?"

She giggles, "Buffy Jr. and I are just fine. She's been kicking me all day and I'm pretty sure she's going to have our strength. Can I bruise from the inside?"

I laugh. "Don't know 'bout that, luv."

"Where do you think the crib should be? Near the window?"

I shrug as I nibble on her neck, "I suppose. Whatever you want, pet." She has me move furniture around the room for an hour before she's happy with the arrangement. When I'm done, everything is in exactly the same place as when I started. "Luv, it's late. Why don't we go to bed and finish this up tomorrow. We'll get Red, Kennedy, and Mel over to help out, yeah?"

She walks around the room, lightly running her fingers over the furniture. "Spike, will our baby even get to use any of this? What if we can't protect her?" She turns to me with tears dripping down her face. "What if she dies?"

I go to her and pick her up, hugging her to my chest. "She'll be fine, pet. I'll protect you both." I carry her to the bedroom, sit her down on the edge of the bed, then kneel before her, taking her hands in mine. "Buffy, we have everyone we know workin' on how to defeat this thing, and we have all the resources of Wolfram and Hart backin' us up. We'll win."

She runs her fingers through my hair, "You sound pretty sure, considering it almost killed you last time. It took you four months to heal and you still have the scars. Vampires don't have scars, Spike."

"Luv, last time I was alone and unarmed. I won't be either next time, and some vampires have scars." I raise my left eyebrow. "I've had this one for over a hundred years. It's not unheard of." I lean forward and lift her shirt to expose her belly. I feather gentle kisses around her belly button and look up to see her smiling down at me, a look of triumph on her face. "What?"

"You called the baby a she."

XXXXX

XXXXX

It takes most of the afternoon and into the evening to get the nursery set up. Everyone gathers in the newly cleared living room and plops down on the furniture, exhausted. I wander into the kitchen to heat up a cup of blood. * _Y__ou need anythin', pet?_ *

* _I'll have some juice, please._ * "You guys want anything? Spike's offering."

* _No, I bloody well wasn't._ *

* _Don't be crabby, Spike._ *

* _M'not crabby._ *

After a little discussion, everyone decides on juice. I gather glasses and start pouring out the juice when Buffy's arms snake around my middle. She untucks my shirt and slides her hands underneath, then scratches her nails over my chest. I grip the counter when her hands move lower to unbutton my jeans, then moan softly as her warm little hands squeeze and stroke. * _Buffy, luv, what are you doin'?_ *

* _Trying to cheer you up._ *

I look down at her small hands holding my swollen cock. * _Well, it worked. I'm up._ * I stuff myself back in my jeans, buttoning them up with some difficulty, then turn to face Buffy. I tilt her chin up and kiss her gently, teasing her lips open. Her hands tangle in my hair as she pulls me closer. "Mmmm, you taste so good, luv." Her hands drop to my jeans and start rubbing me through the fabric and I growl quietly.

"I want you, Spike."

"We have guests, kitten." I hear the Watcher and Harris coming up the hallway. "And we're about to have more. We'll have to pick this up later, yeah?" She pouts and I take hold of that pouty bottom lip with my teeth, suckling it gently. "I want you too, pet."

She frowns down at her stomach, "Even with this big belly? I look like a beach ball!"

I laugh then reach up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "You're beautiful, and sexy, and I'd take you right here on the counter if we didn't have a flat full. Wait 'til everyone clears out and I'll show you just how sexy I think you are."

She takes my hand and presses a kiss to my palm. "It's a date." She grabs two glasses of juice and heads back out to the living room. I lean against the counter for several seconds, breathing deeply and concentrating on getting my libido somewhat under control, then grab the other two glasses and take them out to the ladies.

I open the door just as Harris is about to knock, startling him. He jumps back with a small yelp, "How do you do that?"

I chuckle at his wide eyes. "Heard you, for one, and you really need to lay off the onions, whelp. Could smell you all the way up the hall."

He smirks, "Bite me, Fang Boy."

I smirk back, "Gladly. You wanna be turned or just drained?"

His smirk falters just a tad. "Um, neither. Never mind."

I clap him on the back and laugh. "Don't worry, whelp, I won't eat you. Especially not when you reek of onions. It'd give me indigestion."

Giles pushes past us, grumbling. "If you two are quite finished."

I raise my eyebrow and look at Harris. He shrugs.

Buffy motions me over to sit with her in the comfy chair. I slip down behind her, wrap my arms around her middle and softly caress her belly. Harris and Giles take seats on the couch just as Willow asks, "Have you picked out names yet?"

Buffy nods, "If it's a girl, we've picked Joyce Elizabeth, and if it's a boy, we want to name him William Rupert."

Giles sits forward, surprised. "Rupert?"

Buffy blushes just a bit, "Well, yeah. You've been more of a father to me than my own ever was."

"Buffy, that's... I'm... Thank you. I'm honored."

"Glad to do it, Rupes. You mean a lot to both of us."

Willow leans over and wraps Giles in a hug. "You mean a lot to all of us, Giles." Nods of assent all around.

Giles, visibly flustered, takes off his glasses and starts polishing them furiously. "Thank you all. You mean a great deal to me, as well."

"Harris, can you grab the door? Forehead's almost here."

He gets up with a groan and opens the door, rolling his eyes. "Let me guess, you smelled him?" Angel steps in and looks around at all of us, smiling when his eyes settle on Mel.

"Well, that, and I could feel him. Through our bond."

"Your bond?"

Angel turns to Harris with a grin. "The Sire-Childe bond. We can sense each other."

"Like Spike and Buffy can? Can you talk to each other, too?"

"No. I can sense Spike if we're near enough to each other, but I'm his Grandsire, so the bond isn't as strong. His Sire would be able to sense his emotions and would be able to use the bond to control him." Angel sits down next to Mel on the couch, wraps his arm around her and nuzzles her ear.

"Drusilla could control you?" Giles asks, obviously interested.

"When I was a fledge, yeah. It's used to keep fledges in line 'til they get control of their bloodlust. Some vamps turn people and just leave them to fend for themselves, but if you turn someone you want to keep around, you have to be able to control them."

"Why?" Giles pulls out a notepad and starts writing furiously.

"Newly risen vamps are ruled by their demon, and they'll kill anyone that crosses their path. That tends to draw attention, usually the wrong kind." I give Buffy a squeeze. "That's why most vamps run in packs. The older ones teach the younger ones how to hunt and cover their tracks."

"So Drusilla taught you how to hunt?"

I chuckle. "No. Dru wasn't really one for makin' plans. She'd see someone tasty and just follow 'em 'til they were alone, drain 'em and leave the body. I spent a lot of time hidin' bodies to keep the vampire hunters off us. Once I learned to hunt, I brought the food to her. The only time she used the bond to control me was to have me fetch her things."

"What kinds of things?"

"Oh, she'd see someone she wanted to eat and would command me to bring 'em to her, or see a bauble in a shop window and command me to get it. Once I learned her tastes, she didn't have to use the bond anymore. Angelus taught me how to be a vampire."

"If Drusilla wasn't controlling you, then how did you master your bloodlust?"

"Angelus chained me to a wall in the cellar and would bring people down for me to practice on. When I could keep my demon leashed in the presence of fresh food, I got to eat. If I couldn't, I didn't."

Buffy glares at Angel, "So he would just let you starve?"

I give her a little squeeze. "Not for long, pet. Makes the demon harder to control. And Dru would sneak me a snack once in a while, when 'Gelus and Darla were out."

Harris snorts, "A snack? Like a twinkie?"

"No, you berk. Someone she'd eaten. She'd drag 'em down and let me finish 'em off."

Giles is scribbling furiously on his notepad. "How long were you down there?"

"I'm not sure. Peaches?"

Angel looks at the floor and mumbles, "About eight months."

"Eight months! Are you kidding?" Buffy glares at Angel again.

He shakes his head with his eyes still firmly locked on the floor. "No."

"I finally got out when Darla decided to move us somewhere else. The hunters were gettin' wise to us, and it was time to move on. Bit hard to keep a low profile when accompanied by a bloodthirsty fledge, so she devised a test for me and insisted I be brought along to a party on a boat. Nowhere for anyone to run if I got out of hand. I walked around, surrounded by food, for over six hours and didn't fang out 'til she gave the nod."

Giles barely glances up from his notes. "Then what happened?"

I shrug. "We ate them all."

Willow's voice shakes a little when she asks, "How many?"

"Seventy-five, give or take. Took the four of us three days to get through 'em all."

"Wow."

"When we got to the new place, Angelus taught me how to hunt for myself without drawin' attention or leavin' a trail. Wasn't very good at that part for a while. Liked the fight too much. I'd take anybody on, sometimes more than one. We had to do a runner from angry mobs several times 'fore Darla had enough. She took Angelus and lit out for Spain or somewhere, leaving Dru and me on our own. Had to be more careful after that, since I had Dru to look after."

Giles looks up from his notes, "Did you ever turn anyone?"

I shake my head, "Not 'til the First had me. Had enough to deal with takin' care of Dru. Didn't need a bunch of soddin' fledges underfoot."

"But you've had minions, yes?"

I shrug, "Sometimes, yeah, but I didn't sire 'em. If I needed scut work done, I'd just find a nest of young vamps and take over."

Harris snorts, "How do you take over? Just walk in and say _Hey, I'm your boss now?_"

"No, I'd have to challenge the leader. We'd both call out our Sires. Vamps have a complex ranking structure. Some lines are more powerful than others, and a vamp's position is based on what generation he is in the line. I'm fifth generation Aurelian, which is one of the most powerful clans."

Harris frowns, "Call out your Sires, what does that mean?"

"I'd state my full title and the other vamp would state theirs. The one with the higher line and position is the winner."

Giles asks, "What is your full title?"

"William the Bloody, sired by Drusilla the Mad, sired by Angelus, sired by Darla, sired by The Master, Clan of Aurelius, Member of the Whirlwind, One-quarter of the Scourge of Europe."

Harris grins, "Wow, that's a mouthful."

Giles asks, "Once you took over, what happened if they didn't follow your orders?"

I shrug, "Dusted 'em. Usually only had to dust one or two 'fore the rest fell in line."

No one says anything for a while. Buffy leans back into me and puts her hands over mine where they lay on her belly.

"Well, now that we've had a nice long episode of _Spike, This Is Your Unlife_, what brings you here, Watcher?"

"Oh, yes, I have some news about the Great Evil. We've found a way to track it."

Buffy sits up. "You have? Well, where is it?"

"We've tracked it to several locations, but by the time we arrive, it's gone. Angel just came back from the last location."

"Was it there?"

Angel frowns, "No. We figure we only missed it by a few minutes this time, so we're getting closer, but there's another problem."

"What?"

"Its hideouts are getting closer to Wolfram and Hart. This one was only two miles from here."

Willow sits forward and looks worriedly at Buffy, "Why would it be coming now? Buffy isn't due for another three weeks. If it wants the baby, wouldn't it have to wait until it's born?"

Mel shakes her head. "Technically, the baby could be born anytime. It's far enough along to be viable outside the womb with no medical intervention."

"So it could be coming to kill Buffy and take the baby?"

Buffy tenses and I can smell her fear. I tighten my arms around her and nuzzle her neck. "It'll be ok, pet. You're safe here. Right, Angel?"

Angel nods, "Buffy, we have wards on the whole building, every entrance. We have our Special Ops team running 24 hour patrols of the whole place and the entire building is on high alert. You're safe."

Buffy relaxes just a little and settles back into me again. Suddenly I feel something kick my hand hard enough to bounce it off her belly. "Oi! The tyke just kicked me! Did you lot see that?" I put my hand back and press in just a bit and it's kicked off again. "Little bugger's strong! Just like his Mum."

Buffy smiles and says, "Just like her Dad."

Willow yawns then stands up, "I'm beat. Sleepage is of the good. See you all tomorrow." Mel stands and starts gathering up glasses to take to the kitchen as Buffy and I get up out of the chair and see everyone out.

She closes the door, then leans back against it, licking her lips. "Do you still want me?"

I curl my tongue behind my teeth, giving her my best leer, then lean in and capture her lips. My hands find her breasts and caress them through her shirt, teasing the nipples with my nails. She moans and pulls my shirt up over my head, then starts kissing and nipping my chest. She catches my nipple in her teeth, suckling hard, while she unbuttons my jeans and pulls me free. I growl and pull her back up for a kiss as she strokes and teases me with her nails.

I back up, take her hand and lead her to the bedroom. I stop her next to the bed and shuck off my jeans, pulling the blankets down as she pulls her shirt over her head. I slip her pants down over her hips and she lies back on the bed. I kneel on the floor and pull her pants off, then take her foot in my hand and place a wet kiss to the inside of her ankle. I lick and nibble up her leg until my cheek brushes against her crinkly hair. I raise her legs, placing her feet on my shoulders, then dive in for a long lick.

Her hips buck and she gasps as I explore her folds, licking and sucking, then catch her clit with my teeth and work it with my tongue. She moans and fists the sheet, pulling herself closer to my face, as I ease my tongue into her slit. She gasps and calls my name as I thrust steadily, my thumb working her clit. I remove my tongue and insert two fingers, curling them to find the raised area on her front wall. She arches up, thrusting toward me, and I catch her clit and suck hard. Her feet fall off my shoulders as she clenches her thighs tight around my head. "Oh God, Spike!" She screams as she comes, her walls convulsing around my fingers.

I grasp her legs and stand, settling them around my waist. She hooks her feet together and pulls me in until my cock is poised at her entrance. I slide my hands under her, lifting her slightly as I slide into her warm depths. She tilts her hips to take all of me, moaning loudly as I move slowly within her, savoring her heat. Her heels dig into the backs of my legs as she urges me to thrust faster. I move my thumb to her clit and work it in time with my thrusts. "Oh God, harder, Spike! More!" I growl low in my chest, grab her hips and pound into her. We both grunt with the impact of each thrust until she clenches her legs tight around me and arches up with a scream. Her clenching walls milk my cock as I thrust into her and explode with a roar. I stand, panting, until her legs start to quiver, then I pull out of her, pick her up and lay her gently on her side in the middle of the bed. I snuggle up behind her, pulling the blankets over us, and wrap my arm snugly over her belly.

"My beautiful Buffy." I whisper into her hair. "I love you."

"I love you, Spike." I lie there, listening to her steady breathing and the rapid thumping of the baby's heartbeat. They've just about lulled me to sleep when I feel a sharp thump against the arm laying over Buffy's belly. I smile and I'm gone.


	17. Ch 17 Got Jeans

Chapter 17 – Got Jeans

(Buffy POV)

It's still dark and I have to pee. Again. I think the baby has decided to camp out on my bladder. I move Spike's arm off me and sit up, yawning and stretching. I run my fingers through my still too short hair then slide to the edge of the bed and waddle into the bathroom to take care of business. I catch a look at my belly in the mirror on the way out and frown. I do look like a beach ball. A beach ball tied to a stick. And look how much my belly button sticks out! I run my hands over my belly as I turn and look at it from different angles. Yeah, I'm huge. I shrug and sigh. Oh well, I won't be this way for much longer, and then I'll have a cute little baby to cuddle. A Slayer with a baby. A vampire's baby. Wow, my life is anything but normal. I waddle back out to my sleeping vampire, then just stand and look at him for a while. He's so beautiful when he's asleep, well, he's beautiful all the time, but when he's asleep he looks so boyish and innocent. The not breathing part is a little creepy, but I'm used to it.

He's still lying on his side with his arm where I left it. I crawl in facing him and snuggle up, wrapping his arm around me. I drape my arm over him, lightly stroking his back, while I nibble his shoulder and collar bone. Wow, he's really out. He usually wakes up anytime I do. I kiss up his neck and nibble on his earlobe. Suddenly his whole body clenches. His arms stiffen and he throws his head back. I can hear his teeth grinding together. I pull him closer to me and hold him tight. Why is his back wet? I roll off the bed and turn on the lamp. Blood. There's blood on my hand. I crawl back on the bed and roll him to his stomach. There's a line of deep puncture wounds running across his back.

"Spike! Wake up!" I roll him to his back and start shaking him. "Spike!" I slap him across the face. * _Spike! Wake up! Spike!_ * I can't feel him! Oh God! I can't feel him! He clenches again and a large gash appears on his chest. Oh God, it's happening again! I dive for the phone and punch 0.

A bright voice says, "Wolfram and Hart, how may I help you?"

"This is Buffy, get Angel up here now! It's Spike! It's happening again!" I scream into the phone then slam it down. I'm halfway to the front door before I remember I'm naked. I go back to the bedroom, snatch Spike's robe out of the chair, wrapping it around me as I waddle as fast as I can out of the apartment. I pound several times on Giles' door then step across the hall and slam my hands against Willow's. I back away from the door and stand in the middle of the hall, shaking and trying to get myself under control. I'm still the Slayer, dammit.

Giles opens his door and pokes his head out. "Buffy? What's wrong? Is it the baby? Where's Spike?

"It's happening again, Giles. I can't feel him and it's hurting him." I turn and stumble back to our apartment.

XXXXX

XXXXX

(Spike POV)

I hear grass blowing in a breeze when I roll over and reach for Buffy. My hand closes on something rough and prickly. I jerk my hand back and open my eyes. Grass. I sit up and blink in the bright sunlight. More grass. And I'm starkers. Oh bugger.

I jump to my feet and turn in a slow circle, looking for the soddin' rabbit. I don't see it, so I tilt my head and listen. Just wind. Wait, there's something. Over there, but it's faint. I walk toward the noise, scanning the ground for anything I can use as a weapon. Nothin' but a lot of bleedin' grass.

The sound is close now. Sounds like running water. Underneath me? Just over there. A sinkhole. I fang out and drop silently into the hole, scanning the darkness with my demon eyes. A cave off to my left. I pad quietly into the cave. Up there, a large crack in the wall. I slink toward it and am about to peer inside when I hear something rustling behind me. I spin and drop to a crouch, muscles tensed and ready to fight.

A rat. I start to turn back toward the hole in the wall when something slams across my back, flattening me to the floor. It lifts off me and I roll away and jump to my feet. The rabbit steps out of the crack and swings at me, slashing my chest with one claw. Blood flows over my chest and stomach as I jump back and bounce off the opposite wall. I can't fight it here, there's no room to move. Need to get it out in the open. I turn and sprint for the opening, then launch myself up and out of the hole. I take off through the grass, thanking the Powers for vampire speed, when something tangles around my feet and I pitch headlong into the dirt. I roll over and sit up, shaking my head, and look to see what tripped me.

Black jeans. Sliding jerkily up my legs and over my hips. I watch, awestruck, as the buttons fasten themselves. What the bloody buggerin' fuck IS this? I'm suddenly wearing jeans, but are they mine? I stand and dig through the pockets. Pack of fags and a Zippo in one and a pocketknife in the other. Yeah, they're mine. I hear the rabbit climbing out of the hole and take off running again to put some distance between me and Evil Bunny.

I run for about ten minutes, near as I can figure, and the landscape doesn't change at all. Grass and more soddin' grass. I slow to a stop, then plop down and light up a fag. Need to suss this out. Last time I was here I had all the wounds, and was wearing the shredded jeans from the fight at the hotel. Everything that happened to me here showed up on me there. This time did I wake up starkers here because I was starkers there?

My jeans. My jeans slipped up my legs like someone was dressing me. Did Buffy put jeans on me there? Is that why I have them on here? I look down at my chest. The blood is gone and the wound looks clean. A bandage suddenly appears over the wound. I reach around to my back and feel several bandages. Hmmm. I dig the knife out of my pocket and flip it open.

XXXXX

XXXXX

(Buffy POV)

Spike is still lying as I left him, naked and bleeding. I should cover him or something. I know he wouldn't care if the whole world saw him naked, but it makes him look so vulnerable. I grab his jeans off the floor and tug them up his legs. I have to roll him side to side to pull them over his hips, then I carefully tuck him in and button them up. There. He looks a little more Spike-ish. I go to the bathroom and get the first aid kit.

I'm laying bandages out on the bed when Giles comes in with Willow, Kennedy and Xander. "How is he?"

"Bleeding. He's got this gash on his chest and a bunch of puncture wounds on his back. Willow, can you help me roll him and bandage his back? I think that's the worst one so far."

We wash and bandage the wounds on his back, then roll him and clean and bandage the wound on his chest. Xander and Giles lift him so Kennedy and Willow can strip and re-make the bed. They put him back down and I crawl up to sit next to him, pulling his arm into my lap. I brush the hair away from his forehead, then bring his fingers to my lips. "So what do we do now?"

Angel steps into the bedroom. "We wait."

"That's it? Where the hell have you been?"

"I went to the seers to have them track Spike. They know he's not on this plane, but they haven't been able to find him, and even if they do, there's no way for us to get to him. He's on his own."

I sob and clutch Spike's hand to my chest, tears streaming down my face. Willow sits down next to him and takes his right hand in hers. I look over at her and gasp. "Willow! His arm! Look!" Willow holds out his arm and we all watch as shallow cuts appear on his forearm.

-B - GOT JEANS - NEED WEAPON – S

Xander points and says, "Got jeans? What the hell does that mean?"

The room is spinning as I lean over and run my finger over the cuts. "They're real. He's ok."

"Buffy, can you tell us what this means?" Giles asks quietly.

"H… He was naked, so I put his jeans on before you got here. I guess now he has jeans wherever he is."

"Do you suppose he has the bandages too?"

Just then the bandage on his chest bulges out. I peel it back and a wad of grass spills out. "Um, I'd say yes."

Xander steps up to the bed, "Let's get him suited up."

I jump off the bed and grab his socks and boots from the corner. "Xander, grab a shirt from that dresser over there and his duster's in the closet." Willow takes a sock and boot and together we get his feet covered. Kennedy pulls him to a sitting position, and Willow and I wrestle the shirt over his head, then fight him into the duster.

Kennedy lays him back down and I settle his head on the pillows, "What weapons should we give him?"

Giles is kneeling by my weapons chest. He stands and holds out my Slayer scythe. "I think this one. It's tied to the prophecy, so I feel it's appropriate."

I take the weapon and lay it on his stomach, wrapping his hands around it. "Should we give him anything else?"

Angel says, "Where's the talisman?"

"On the dresser, toss it here." I slip the chain over his head and lay the stone on his chest.

Xander comes over with a handful of knives and stuffs them in the pocket of the duster then shrugs. "Couldn't hurt."

XXXXX

XXXXX

(Spike POV)

That's my girl! I knew she'd figure it out, especially once I stuffed the grass under my bandage. First my socks and boots appear at the same time, so she must have help. The Scoobs are probably with her. Then my t-shirt followed by my duster. Ok, pet, now give us a weapon.

Her Slayer scythe appears in my hands, and shortly after, I feel a weight on my chest. I look down and see my talisman. The weapon starts thrumming, and a beam of blue energy flies out of the talisman and connects with the weapon, making it glow. Huh, that's new.

As I stand to start back the way I came, I hear something clinking in my duster pocket. I reach in and come up with three knives. I stash one in each boot, and clip the third one to the waistband of my jeans. "Ok, you bastard, let's dance."

I take off at full speed, my duster flying out behind me like a cape.

XXXXX

XXXXX

(Buffy POV)

Kennedy asks, "Is there anything else we can do to help him? I don't know, maybe boost his strength somehow? Magic or something?"

She looks at Willow, who shakes her head. "He's already really strong, and any spells I could do would probably only affect this Spike. I don't think the magicks would follow him to wherever he is."

I move to the edge of the bed and pick up the phone. "There's something I can do." I dial a number. "I need to speak to Melinda. Now."

I hear someone shouting for Melinda then she's on the phone. "Hello, this is Mel, can I help you?"

"Mel, it's Buffy. I need you to bring me some things for Spike."

"What things, what's happened?"

"No time to explain. Right now I need one of those tubes that goes down his throat to feed him, and whatever it takes to put one in."

"Ok, I'll be right there."

"Thanks, Mel."

I hang up the phone, then go to the kitchen and get a large measuring cup and a sharp knife. I sit back on the bed, put the cup on the nightstand, place my wrist over the cup and press the knife against it.

Xander shouts, "Buff, what are you doing?"

"Giving Spike some of my blood." I slice my wrist and watch the blood drip into the cup. "It'll make him stronger."

"Yeah, this Spike. We don't know if it'll work on the other one."

"I've got to try. I can't lose him, Xan. Can you get a few of his blood bags and warm them up? He's going to need all he can get."

Angel steps out calling over his shoulder, "I'll get it."

I hear the front door open and Angel say, "In the bedroom."

Mel comes rushing in with her arms full of medical supplies. "I grabbed whatever I thought we'd need. I can send down for more." She looks at me dripping blood into a cup and drops the supplies in the chair. "I'll get the tube in." She points at the edge of the bed. "I need him laying flat on his back with his head here." Xander leans over and grabs one of Spike's arms to drag him over and his hand falls off the weapon.

"Xan, stop! We have to secure that somehow so he doesn't drop it."

Kennedy jumps up on the bed, wraps Spike's hands around the weapon, and holds them with her own. She follows him across the bed as Xander drags him to the edge.

Xander and Giles turn him so his head is almost hanging off the edge of the bed. Mel kneels by the bed and quickly inserts the tube then tapes the end securely to his face. "Ok, he's ready. We need to sit him up a bit, though."

Willow and Kennedy gather up every pillow they can find and pile them against the headboard in a rough wedge. Xander and Giles grab Spike under the arms and hoist him into place while Kennedy holds his hands to the weapon. His head lolls forward in spite of the tube in his throat, so Willow removes one of the pillows and punches the others down so his head leans back just a bit.

Angel comes back with the warmed bags and puts them down next to the cup of my blood. The cup is almost full, so I press a bandage to my wrist and Mel tapes it in place. She takes a huge syringe and pulls blood from my cup, then inserts it into the port on the tube and pushes the blood down Spike's throat. She repeats the procedure until my blood and the bagged blood has been pushed down the tube, then pulls the tape off his face, and slowly pulls the tube out of his throat.

Spike's cheeks are flushed and his skin is warm. I lean over and gently kiss him, "We've done all we can do from here. It's up to him now."

I take the empty blood bags and cup to the kitchen and stand at the sink, rinsing out the cup with tears streaming down my face. My belly suddenly clenches, doubling me over with a gasp. It holds tight for what seems like forever, then relaxes. I stand back up and breathe deeply, trying to remember the Lamaze classes Spike and I went to.

Yeah, I've got nothing. Well, that was a waste of time.

I turn to go back to the bedroom and make it as far as the doorway when it happens again. This time I almost black out. The only thing keeping me upright is my grip on the door frame. When my vision clears, I see water all over the floor and realize I'm standing in a puddle. "Um, guys?" I call out towards the bedroom. They all come running down the hall and stand staring at me clutching the door frame. "I think we may have another problem."

XXXXX

XXXXX

(Spike POV)

There's the bloody pillock. I see him lumbering along in the distance like he's on his Sunday constitutional. Wanker. I stop running and crouch down to wait. Gah! I taste plastic. What the bloody hell? Something is blocking my throat. I reach up to pull it out and realize what it is. A feeding tube. Suddenly I feel a surge of power and a rush of warmth. Slayer blood. God, I love that woman! My stomach is comfortably full when the tube disappears, and I swallow a few times, trying to get the plastic taste out of my mouth.

My body is crackling with strength and power. The energy from the weapon is washing over me, amplifying the power from her blood, and I can hardly sit still. I raise up just enough to see over the grass and locate the git. He's closer, but not much. I drop back down and try not to move. It's bloody impossible. Ah, sod waiting! Never was much good at it anyway. I burst up from my crouch and take off, closing the distance in a matter of minutes.

I release my demon with a roar and launch myself into the air. The rabbit raises its arm to block me, and I slice off its paw neat as you please as I twist and crash into it, knocking us both to the ground. I roll to my feet, duster flapping, and circle around, looking for an opening. The rabbit gets to its feet and faces me. I move to my right as I pull a knife from my boot and throw it. It tries to block with its missing paw, but the knife flies true and slams into its neck with a meaty thunk. It howls and raises its good arm to try to pull out the knife. I step in and spin, slicing a huge gash across its stomach.

I dart in and use the stake end of the weapon to stab it just under its bad arm. I jerk the weapon back and raise it over my head like an axe, bringing it down on the rabbit's tail, severing it, then back off and circle. The rabbit keeps its eyes on me and tries to keep its good side towards me. Its voice is a low rumbling growl that vibrates deep in my stomach. "Why do you fight, vampire? You cannot win. The child will be mine."

I snort, "Yeah? Who's the one limpin' and bleedin' all over the place? I've still got all my body parts."

I come at it again and it swings at me low, catching my leg. I roll away and bounce back to my feet, then circle and pull out another knife with blood running down my leg and squishing in my boot. This one lands in the leg on its bad side. I run past it, ducking under its good arm, and slice another gash in its side, then stop and spin. I swing the axe around and sink it deep in the rabbit's stomach. Its paw comes down on my arms and breaks my grip on the weapon.

I stumble back and circle around behind it, pulling the last knife from my waist, then launch myself up and land high on its back. I fist my right hand in its fur and quickly stab with my left as its claws rake the air near my head. I duck and stab again. The claws swipe towards me and I stab deep, leaving the knife buried in its shoulder, and leap off. I circle around to its bad side again and run in low, snatching the weapon out of its stomach.

I back off again and set the weapon on the ground, leaning it against my leg. My jeans are soaked in blood, but I'm not feeling any pain. Yet. I fish out my fags and light one. "You look done in, mate." It limps toward me, but I keep it easily out of range. I circle and smoke while it limps and bleeds. Its movements are getting sluggish and I can hear its heart slowing. I take one last drag then flick the butt away into the grass. "Let's finish this."

I run at its bad side and tackle it to the ground. We land with a grunt and I roll off and get to my feet. It rolls to its back and lays there, looking up at me with loathing in its eyes. "The child is mine, vampire."

"No it's not, ya great git." I raise the axe and bring it down with all the force I can muster. It slices through the rabbit's neck and buries itself deep in the ground underneath. "It's mine." The rabbit's head rolls a few feet and comes to a stop with its eyes on me.

I pull the scythe out of the ground, raise it over my head, and shout at the sky. "Oi! I won! Now get me the bloody hell out of here!" I draw my foot back to kick the head. Just as my boot makes contact, the talisman explodes a flash of light, blowing me back into the grass. I sit up, still clutching the weapon, surrounded by a bubble of blue light. A tendril of energy floats up from the talisman, wraps around my head, and everything goes dark.

XXXXX

Voices. Frantic. Someone screams.

A loud grunt that turns into a scream.

XXXXX

Smell blood. Buffy's blood.

"Buffy?" My voice is barely a whisper. I open my eyes and look around. I'm propped up against the headboard with the Slayer scythe clutched in my hands. I scoot to the edge of the bed and stand up, dropping the weapon to the floor as I take a step. My leg turns to fire. I howl, grab my leg, and fall back on the bed. I sit up and blanch as I look at my leg. My jeans are shredded and bloody over several gushing, bone deep gashes in my thigh.

Kennedy rushes into the room. "Spike! You're awake! Shit, your leg!" She ducks into the bathroom, grabs a towel, presses it to my leg and leans on it.

I howl again as I fall backwards and twist the blankets in my fists, trying to keep myself from punching her in the head. "Bloody hell! You tryin' to push that soddin' towel all the way through?"

"Oh, quit being such a baby."

I growl low in my chest. "Sod off, bint."

She ignores me as she wraps the towel firmly in place with a roll of gauze she picked out of a pile in the chair. "I'll call down to the infirmary and have them send someone to get you. You're gonna need stitches." I nod and close my eyes.

* _Buffy?_ *

* _Spike! You're hurt! How bad?_ *

* _Just my leg, kitten. Where are you?_ *

* _Infirmary. Can you walk?_ *

* _No. Are you ok? Is the baby ok?_ *

* _We're both fine. What happened?_ *

* _Woke up starkers in bleedin' bunny hell, but after you kitted me out, the bunny and I danced. I won. Chopped his soddin' head clean off._ *

* _I'll get someone to come get you._ *

* _Kennedy's on it, luv. Got someone on the way._ *

Someone is knocking on the door.

* _They're here. See you soon._ *

Kennedy opens the door, and a minute later, a nurse rolls a wheelchair up next to the bed. Kennedy pulls me to my feet. I turn, then grit my teeth and sit down, trying hard not to remember the last time I was in a wheelchair. It doesn't work. The feelings all crash into me at once. Useless. Betrayed. Helpless. I grasp the arms of the chair in a white knuckle grip. I can't do this. I push myself back to my feet and fall sideways on the bed, screaming as I land on my leg.

"What the hell, Spike?" Kennedy shouts.

I roll to my back, gasping and clutching at my leg. "I can't. The chair. I can't."

* _Spike! What's wrong? I just got a huge wave of pain from you. Where are you? What's going on?_ *

* _Fell on my leg, pet. No worries. I'll be down in a few._ *

The nurse speaks up. "Sir, I need you to get in the chair so I can take you to have your leg examined."

I snarl and fang out. "I. Will. Not. Use. That. Chair. Find somethin' else."

Kennedy and the nurse exchange a confused look, then Kennedy shrugs and mutters, "Stupid vampires."

The nurse looks at me and asks, "Could you use crutches? It's either that or a gurney."

"I'll take the crutches."

She nods then picks up the phone and tells someone to send up a pair of crutches. "They'll be here momentarily, sir." I nod and she pushes the chair out of the flat. Shortly after, there's another knock on the door, and Kennedy brings me a pair of crutches then helps me to my feet again. I shrug out of the duster, letting it fall to the bed, then settle them and start out of the room. I notice a wet spot on the carpet in the kitchen doorway with a mop and bucket sitting nearby. I smell Buffy's blood in the living room near the couch. She said she was fine and I don't feel any pain from her.

* _Pet, why were you bleedin' in the livin' room? Are you sure you're ok?_ *

* _I'm fine, Spike. When will you be here?_ *

* _On my way, kitten._ *

I crutch into Buffy's room. She's sitting up in bed, holding a blanket wrapped bundle to her chest. I sit on the edge of the bed and lean the crutches against the chair next to it. She unwraps the bundle, and I see a tiny baby with fine, light brown hair. She puts the baby into my arms then leans down and places a gentle kiss on its head.

She smiles up at me, "Spike, meet William. Your son."


	18. Ch 18 Got Milk?

Chapter 18 – Got Milk?

(Spike POV)

I open my eyes to a beautiful sight; Buffy and William cuddled up next to me, sleeping soundly. He's lying on his back between us with her small hand lying on his round little belly, and his fist wrapped tightly around her finger. I lay there, grinning like a loon, and watch my family sleep. My family. Something I never thought I'd have. Still throws me for a loop. My unlife is nothing if not interesting.

Bug moves and I catch a whiff of something. Wet nappy. I roll over to get out of bed and have to bite back a scream as I clutch my leg. Forgot about it for a mo'. Been a soddin' month and the gashes still haven't completely closed. My chest and back are almost healed; hopefully I can get those bandages off soon. They itch. I ease to the edge of the bed and snag my crutches from the chair. The Big Bad on crutches. How bleedin' pathetic is that?

I make my way to the nursery as quietly as possible and round up a new nappy and the box of wipes. I put both crutches on my bad side and awkwardly make my way back to the bedroom.

Buffy's awake when I clomp through the door. "Sorry, luv. Didn't mean to wake you." I hop back to the bed and drop the nappy and wipes.

"You didn't." She smiles down at Bug who's latched onto her breast, sucking hungrily.

"Got quite an appetite, yeah?"

"Fifth time since we went to sleep. You don't think something might be wrong with him, do you? Mel told me he'll eat as much as he needs, but maybe he's sick or something. Or maybe my milk isn't enough for him?"

"I'm sure he's fine, pet. If your milk is anythin' like your blood, there's no wonder he can't get enough." She smiles and seems to relax a little.

"Willow's coming over in a while to watch Bug, so I can go work out. I need to get back in shape."

I look her over and leer down at her, curling my tongue behind my teeth. "Your shape looks pretty good to me, pet. I could work you out."

She beams up at me and shakes her head. "I need to train, Spike. It's been so long since I fought, I'm afraid I've forgotten how. Besides, we've still got two weeks before I see the doctor again."

I sigh as I lay down behind her and wrap my arm over her and Bug. "Ok, luv, but I can care for my own child. Red doesn't need to."

"You have to go down to the infirmary so Mel can change your bandages."

I groan. "I thought her and the poof were still holed up in their flat. It's only been two weeks since the spell was cast. They get tired of shaggin' already?"

She laughs, "I doubt it, but since you were her first patient, she feels responsible for you. She wants to make sure you're healing alright."

"And Peaches is ok with her leavin' him holdin' his shiny, new, curse-less soul to take care of me?"

She laughs louder, "Again, I doubt it, but you know how stubborn she is."

"Yeah, reminds me of you."

"I am not stubborn. I'm... tenacious. And I'm about to get all tenacious on your ass if you don't get it dressed and haul it down to Mel. Use the chair."

I sit up and glare down at her. "I will not use that soddin' chair, Buffy. I can't."

"Why, Spike? What is it about the wheelchair that gets you all bad moody? I've been trying to get you to use it for a month. You keep refusing and you won't tell me why."

I drop my head and close my eyes. "It's embarrassin', luv. Bein' in it reminds me of the last time and I can't control the feelings, they overwhelm me." I hide my face with my hands and whisper, "I don't want you to think less of me."

She reaches up and gently trails her fingers down my cheek. "You've never been able to control your feelings, Spike. Everything you feel is written all over your face. That's one of the many things I love about you. I could never think less of you, and you can tell me anything." She takes my hand and squeezes it. "What happened the last time? Please tell me."

I lie back down and bury my face in her hair. "After you dropped that organ on me and broke my back, I couldn't do anythin' to stop Angelus from takin' Dru away from me. All I could do was sit there and watch... and listen. Couldn't even get out of the bleedin' buildin' 'cause of the stairs. I was trapped in that chair. Helpless. Useless. It was worse than havin' that buggerin' chip."

She pulls me closer and whispers, "I'm sorry, Spike. I didn't know. I'll get rid of it, ok?"

I wrap my arm tighter around her. "Ta, luv."

We lie there quietly until Bug finishes breakfast. Buffy sits up and burps him, then hands him to me as she gets out of bed and goes into the bathroom. I quickly change his nappy, then settle him in the crook of my arm. He snuggles into my chest, turns his head and latches onto my nipple. "Oi!" I laugh and pull him off, then hold him up and smile. "Sorry, Bug. Don't have anythin' for you. Let me get your Mum."

* _Buffy, I think that last burp made some room. Bug's still hungry. He tried to drink from me._ *

She laughs and pops her head out of the bathroom. "I'll be there in a sec." She comes out of the bathroom dressed in sweats and plops down next to me. "Come here, baby. Mommy's got nummies for you." She bares a breast, and he latches on and goes to town.

I slide my hand up her thigh and purr, "What about nummies for me?'

She slaps my hand and giggles. "You'll get your nummies later, if you're good. Now get a move on, Mel's waiting. And stop groaning."

XXXXX

XXXXX

(Spike POV)

I clomp into the infirmary and see Mel stacking supplies into a cabinet. "Mel!"

She turns and smiles at me. "Spike! How are you feeling?"

I follow her into an exam room. "I've been better, luv. Soddin' leg doesn't seem like it's healin' at all."

She pulls a gown out of a drawer and holds it out to me. "I'll wait outside while you put this on."

"No thanks, pet. If you'll help me with my boots, I'll just strip off my jeans." I unbutton my jeans, push them down past the bandage on my thigh, then sit down on the bed. I strip out of my shirt while Mel steps forward, looking at the floor, and slips my boots and jeans off.

She holds up the gown without looking at me. "Are you sure?" She's blushing a bright red and looking everywhere but at me.

"Mel. I'm decent. I don't need the gown, I have knickers on."

She relaxes slightly and looks at me, still blushing. "Oh, ok. I thought, well, Buffy told me you don't wear them, so I thought, um..."

I smirk at her raising my eyebrow. "You and Buffy discuss my knickers?"

She blushes even deeper and smiles, "Well, we talk about a lot of stuff. You know, girl talk."

She walks around behind me, pulls the bandages off my back, and cleans the wounds, then moves around in front of me and takes care of my chest. "These are healed enough that I don't need to bandage them again. They've scabbed over very well." She pulls a stool next to the bed, unwraps the bandage on my thigh, then sponges the blood away from the gashes. The deepest parts are still oozing blood through the stitches. "You're still losing blood. How much are you feeding?"

"I've been eatin' a little more than I usually do, and Buffy has been feedin' me a little twice a day. I feel fine, except for the leg."

She nods. "It is healing, just very slowly." She places new gauze over the wounds and wraps my leg. "You'll have to come back tomorrow to change these." She helps me back into my jeans and boots.

"What happened to my house-calls? You used to come up to the flat. 'Ol Spike not special enough anymore?" I smirk at her and she blushes. "Ah, you only have eyes for Peaches, yeah? How's that goin'?" I pull my shirt over my head.

She beams. "It's excellent. The seers tell us that his soul is anchored. No leftover curse bits. We don't have to worry about Angelus any longer. We're really happy."

"Captain Forehead… happy… that I've gotta see. I'm glad the spell worked, pet, told you Red could do it. I better get back up to Bug. Catch you tomorrow, yeah?" I lean over to grab my crutches and she lays her hand on my arm.

"Spike, I… um… I need to ask you something."

I sit back. "Sure, luv, what is it?"

She drops her hands to her lap and stares down at them. "Angel and I want to have a baby."

I gape at her for a moment before I find my voice. "Well… um… ok, but what's that got to do with me?"

"We need to use your talisman."

I shake my head. "Luv, the talisman doesn't work on humans, and that's what you were last time I checked."

"No… I mean… I know it won't work on me. We were thinking that Buffy…." My angry growl stops her and she flinches.

She opens her mouth to speak, but I put my hand up. "No, Melinda. As much as I don't hate Angel, and as much as I like you, that's too much to ask."

I reach for my crutches again and she grabs my arm. "No, you don't understand."

I shake her hand off and get to my feet. "No, YOU don't understand. I will not sit by as that bastard shags my woman. Not again." I grab my crutches and start for the door. She stands and moves to block me. I stop and glare at her with amber eyes and growl low, "Move, Melinda."

She glares back at me and crosses her arms over her chest. "I will not. Not until you let me finish. Please sit down."

"No."

"Fine, stand, but hear me out." I clench my jaw. "I wasn't asking you to let Angel _shag_ Buffy. I know your history and I wouldn't do that to you, Spike."

My mouth drops open, "You know? How do you know 'bout Angelus and Dru? I bloody well know the poof didn't tell you."

"I told you that Buffy and I talk. She's told me pretty much everything about you and Angel."

I let that sink in for a moment. "Then how?"

"Science."

I tilt my head and stare at her, then back up and sit down on the bed. "Do tell."

Her eyes light up with excitement as she steps to the stool and drops onto it. "It's quite simple, really. Seed is harvested from Angel and inserted into Buffy. She puts on the talisman and heals it. The now viable seed is removed from Buffy, purified, and used to fertilize my eggs. Any resulting embryos are implanted into my womb. Pregnant. Simple, see?"

"So, no shaggin'?"

She shakes her head with a large grin on her face. "Nope. Angel and Buffy won't even be in the same room."

"Hmm. Shouldn't you be askin' Buffy?"

"I already talked to her about it and she said I should ask you first. She doesn't want to do anything that would hurt you, and I completely agree. If this is something you can't handle, then we won't do it."

I stand and gather my crutches. "Let me think about it a bit, luv. I'll see you tomorrow."

XXXXX

XXXXX

(Spike POV)

The door to our flat is open just a crack, light spilling out into the hallway. I push the door wide with my crutch and clomp in, closing it behind me. "Red, I'm back. How's Bug?"

Silence. I turn toward the nursery and the lights go out. I fang out and scan the flat with my demon eyes. Suddenly a blur comes at me from behind the couch and crashes into me, pinning me to the wall. I drop a crutch and raise my arm to punch my attacker when the scent hits me. "Buffy?"

She backs up, laughing, and turns on the lights. "You're off your game, Spike, letting me attack you like that."

I shrug and smile. "Yeah, well, didn't expect to be attacked in my own flat. How was trainin'? Still a little amped up, I see."

She mimes fighting moves and lightly kicks the couch. "It was awesome! I'm stronger, way stronger than I was before Bug. I almost broke Gunn's arm even though I pulled the kick."

"Soon as I'm healed, pet, we'll dance, and you won't have to pull anythin'."

She walks towards me. "I'd like to dance now."

I shake the crutch I'm holding and smirk at her, "Not quite feelin' up to it just yet, yeah?"

She steps close and presses up against me, then leans up and nips my earlobe. "Wasn't talking about that kind of dancing." she murmurs into my ear, causing me to shiver. She slides her hands under my shirt and scratches her nails down my chest.

I moan and drop the crutch, balancing on my good leg, then wrap my arms around her. "Where's Red and Bug?"

"Out." She lifts my shirt over my head and kisses and nips my chest, suckling and biting my nipples as she rubs me through my jeans.

I swallow hard. "What about the doc, pet? Didn't he say we had to wait 'til you're healed?"

She unbuttons my jeans and reaches inside. "As you would say, _sod the doc_. I'm the Slayer, and I say I'm healed."

I take her face in my hands and bring her up for a kiss. "Let's dance."

She puts my arm over her shoulder and helps me over to sit in the comfy chair. I raise my hips so she can slide my jeans and knickers off, then she stands back and slowly removes her clothing. I gasp as she pulls her shirt over her head and rubs her hands slowly over her breasts, teasing the nipples with her nails. Her hands slip inside her pants as she turns around. She slides them down her legs as she bends over and looks at me over her shoulder. I lick my lips and whisper, "Beautiful, pet. So beautiful."

She steps toward the chair and kneels in it, straddling me, then raises up and brings a breast to my mouth. I reach out and tongue the nipple, then draw it in and suck hard. My mouth is filled with her sweet milk. She moans and pulls my head closer. I move to the other breast, sucking and nipping. "Mmmm, you taste so good, pet."

I grab her hips and lift her to a standing position, place her foot on the back of the chair and bury my face in her wet heat, my hands on her ass, pulling her close. I explore her folds and nip and lick at her clit. She grips my head and bears down as I lick faster and harder. I insert two fingers and quickly rub the raised flesh on her inner wall. She pants and thrusts her hips against my face. "Harder, Spike!" I catch her clit with my teeth, sucking hard as I press into that special spot with my fingers. She clenches around my fingers and her walls convulse as she screams, "Oh God, Spike!"

She takes her foot off the back of the chair and stands looking down at me. I lean in and place a kiss to her hair, then snake my tongue out and lick gently at her still throbbing clit. She moans and presses closer as I lick faster. She clenches and comes again with a loud moan. She pulls my head back and smiles down at me. "God, Spike, you are so good at that."

"Glad you like it, luv."

She steps off the chair and kneels in front of it. "My turn."

She grabs my hips and pulls me forward to capture my balls in her mouth. I moan loudly and tangle my fingers in her hair as her hands stroke my length, and she nibbles and sucks. She licks up my cock, nibbles lightly on the tip, then takes it in her mouth and sucks hard as she takes me in. I gasp and thrust my hips as she moves on me, swirling her tongue. She takes me almost to the hilt, stroking faster and harder, until I'm panting and calling her name. "Buffy… ah… oh God… Buffy! She sucks hard and I explode. She takes it all in, then licks me gently and smiles up at me.

"You like your nummies?"

I pull her up my body and crash her lips to mine. "I love my nummies."

"How about some more?"

She gets up and straddles me, guiding me slowly into her slick opening. I groan and grasp her hips, pulling her down as I thrust up into her. She braces her hands on my shoulders and rides me, twisting and grinding her pelvis against mine. "Buffy, oh god, you feel so good." We grind together slowly, while I caress her breasts. She leans in and I take a breast in my mouth and suck. Warm, sweet milk flows into my mouth as she gasps and squeezes my shoulders. She moves faster, and I grip her hips and thrust in time with her, then move my thumb to her clit and work it hard and fast. She comes with a scream, her walls clenching and quivering. She scratches her nails down my chest and I roar my release. She collapses against me, panting. "Yummy nummies."

We sit quietly together until the clock on the mantle chimes. She frowns up at it and climbs off me to fetch my crutches from the floor. "You need to get cleaned up, Willow and Bug will be back soon. What did Mel say about your leg?"

"It's healin' slowly, but I'm still losin' blood."

She sits down on my good leg and presents her neck to me. "Take some. You haven't had any yet today."

I lean in and nibble but don't bite. "Don't think I need any right now, pet. I already feel amped up on Slayer. Think maybe it's your milk. I got the same power rush from it that I do from your blood."

"That so?" She straddles me and brings my mouth to her breast. "Drink. I already pumped for Bug so he could go with Willow. I have plenty."

I nuzzle her breast and latch on, drinking deep. She moans and clutches my head as I feel the power surging through me. I drain one breast and move to the other as she holds my head and runs her fingers through my hair. My nerves are singing as I empty the other breast and sit back licking my lips. "Mmmm. I could get used to that. Now I know why Bug is so addicted. Slayer Blood and Slayer Milk. Bloody ambrosia."

She giggles and climbs off me, pulling me up with her, then gathers up my clothes and follows me into the bathroom to get cleaned up. I can't take a shower because of the bandage, so she gives me a quick sponge bath and helps me back into my jeans. "I'm gonna grab a shower, then we'll talk about what Mel asked you about, ok?"

I pull her to me for a quick snog and head back out to the living room to wait for Bug.

XXXXX

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(Spike POV)

I forgot to put my shirt on and Willow is staring at the scratches on my chest. I snap my fingers and her eyes pop up to mine and she blushes almost as red as her hair. She hands Bug to me and I lay him on my legs. "So what did you and Bug do, Red?"

"Oh, nothing much. I took him down to the lab and visited with Fred for a while then we just wandered around the building."

"Anythin' goin' on? Any nasty demons or apocalypses headed our way?"

She laughs, "Not that I know of. Wes is still researching the Night Child prophecy. I don't know why, though, since it's over with."

"Bloody well better be. I'm gettin' bleedin' tired of bein' sliced and diced."

Buffy walks into the living room toweling her hair. "Hi Wils, how was Bug?"

"He was good. We visited with a lot of people. He's such a little charmer."

Buffy smiles at me, "Just like his Dad." She plops down on the couch next to me and tickles Bug's belly. "When did he eat last?"

"About half an hour ago. He still has one bottle left. I put it in the fridge."

"Thanks, Wils. So what do you think about what Mel wants to do?"

"I think it will work the way she says. Once the talisman part is over, then it's just a regular in vitro like any other woman would have."

Buffy notices the stricken look on my face. "Spike, what's wrong?'

I growl out, "The witch knows?"

"Well yeah, she's kind of our expert on the talisman. We all talked about it, but nothing was decided. I told them you had to agree to it or I wouldn't do it." She takes my hand and twines our fingers together. "How do you feel about it?"

I shrug, "I think I'm ok with it, but I haven't had much time to think about it. Been a bit busy, yeah?" Buffy and Willow both blush and Willow looks at my chest again, her eyes getting wide.

I look down and gasp. "Buffy, look! The scratches are gone!"

Her eyes get just as wide as Willow's. "How long has it been, like an hour? Isn't that kind of fast?" She rubs her hand over my smooth skin, tracing her fingers lightly over my scar. Wait… scar? It was a scabbed over gash when Mel pulled the bandage off a little while ago.

"Yeah, I've never healed that fast, even on your blood." I lean forward. "What do the wounds on my back look like?"

"Just little round scars. Wait, weren't they scabs earlier?"

"Yeah." I hand Bug to Buffy and get to my feet. I put a little weight on my bad leg and it doesn't hurt. I put more weight on it until I'm standing just on that leg. Just a slight ache. I reach for the buttons of my jeans and pop the top one.

"Spike!" Buffy and Willow both shout at the same time.

"Oh, right." I go to the bedroom and strip out of my jeans, then tear the bandage off my leg. "Buffy!"

She jogs into the bedroom, skids to a halt, and claps a hand over her mouth. "Oh my god, Spike! Your leg! It's almost completely healed!"

The oozing gashes have closed and are just raw red lines covered in stitches. The shallower areas are silvery scars. I look up at Buffy with wonder. "It's got to be your milk, luv."

She runs her fingers over the cuts like she doesn't believe her eyes. "But why? What's so special about my milk that would do something like this?"

"Well, your blood makes me stronger, and heals me faster than a regular human's would. Mother's milk has a lot of things in it that blood doesn't. Guess it's like super-powered blood."

"Mel needs to see this."

I pull on some knickers and slip back into my jeans, buttoning them as I walk back into the living room. "Red, can you watch Bug for a mo'? Buffy and I are going down to see Mel."

"Sure. Um, Spike?"

"Yeah, Red?"

"Shirt."

XXXXX

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(Spike POV)

We walk into the infirmary and I see Mel sitting at a desk with her back to us. "Melinda?"

She stands without turning around, and gathers up a stack of papers from the desk. "Just a sec."

I step toward her as she turns. She gasps and drops the papers all over the floor. "Spike! What? Where are your crutches?"

I crouch down and help her gather her papers. "Somethin' I need to show you, pet."

She drops the messy pile of paper back on the desk, then shoos a couple of nurses out of the nearest exam room. I strip out of my jeans and shirt as soon as she closes the door. Before she even has a chance to get embarrassed by me standing there in my skivvies, she sees my leg.

She stares at it with her mouth open, then stammers, "How? What did this?"

"Buffy's milk."

"What?"

Buffy blushes and looks at the floor. "He… uh, drank some of my milk earlier, when we… um… we, you know, um..."

"Shagged?" I say. She's adorable when she's embarrassed.

"Yeah, shagged." she says, blushing furiously.

"I see. How long ago was this?"

"Couple of hours." Mel steps forward and presses on the gashes, looking at my face for signs of pain. I just smile and shake my head. "Doesn't hurt."

"Sit down and I'll get those stitches out. Buffy, could you give me a sample of your milk? I'd like Fred to analyze it."

"Sure. I'll be back in a little while." She gives me a quick kiss and heads back to the flat.

Mel pulls out her pointy tools and sets to work. "I can feel pressure when you pull the stitches, but it doesn't hurt at all. Nothing like last time."

She's almost done when she says, "This is just amazing, Spike. Based on what this looked like earlier, I thought you had at least two or three months of healing left. How much milk did you drink?"

I shrug, "Not sure. Bit hard to measure straight from the tap, yeah? I got the same rush from it that I do from her blood, just stronger. I'm still feelin' it."

She pulls the last stitch and I look down at my leg. The red lines have faded somewhat, and don't look quite so raw. They're surrounded by small dots of blood where the stitches were. Mel sponges the blood off and we both gape at my leg. The stitch wounds are nothing but scars, even the last few she pulled are healed.

"I can't wait to see what's in her milk. Your leg looks better now than it did when you came in here. Based on this rate of healing, I expect there to be hardly any scars at all by tomorrow."

Buffy knocks on the door. * _Come in, pet._ *

She slips in and hands Mel a bottle of milk. "I have more upstairs if you need it. I fed Bug and pumped the rest. Filled three bottles, not counting this one."

My mouth drops open, "Four bottles on top of what Bug ate? Isn't that a lot, luv?"

She shrugs, "Yeah, I guess. Today's the first day I've really pumped. I was just nursing Bug before. I'd nurse him until he stopped, but I never thought to see how much he was drinking. Mel said as long as he was having regular poops, I didn't have to worry."

Mel nods, "True. Babies naturally regulate how much they eat. But four bottles! That is quite a lot of milk for one session, Buffy. Let me get this to Fred. I'll be up later to let you know what she finds."

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(Spike POV)

Buffy and I are sitting on either end of the couch, with our legs twined together, watching telly. Bug is sound asleep on my chest with his tiny thumb firmly anchored in his mouth. I'm not really paying attention to the program; I'm stroking my son's soft hair and watching him sleep. Buffy is staring down at her fingers, twined together in her lap. She picks up the remote and snaps the TV off then looks up at me, pensive. "What do you think is in it, Spike?"

"Don't know, pet. Whatever it is, I like it. My leg's fine now and I've never felt stronger." I murmur, still absently caressing Bug's hair.

"Well, if it does that to you, then what's it doing to Bug?"

That grabs my attention. I stop stroking his hair and close my eyes, listening intently. I hear the fast flutter of his heartbeat and the soft whooshing sound of his blood moving through his veins. The sound of the tiny air sacs in his lungs, filling and deflating, is almost lost under the sound of his last feeding gurgling through his intestines. I sniff and smell normal baby smells. Baby powder, nappy and fabric softener. I sniff deeper, picking up my scent and Buffy's mixed together.

"I don't hear or smell anythin' wrong with him. He's a mix of us, pet. He's already strong. If anythin' it's makin' him stronger."

"I hope so." She moves over next to me and snuggles down, wrapping her arm around both of us.

XXXXX

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(Spike POV)

Someone knocking. Mel. I open my eyes and look at the clock. Too dark. I vamp and look again. We've been asleep for a few hours. "Buffy, luv, time to wake up."

She mumbles and rolls over. I get up and put Bug down in his playpen on my way to the door. "Hi, Mel, Fred. Please come in. What did you find out?" I turn on the light and try to wake Buffy.

She sits up, blinking and rubbing her eyes. "What time is it?"

Mel sits down next to her. "Late, but we thought you'd like to know what Fred found."

"You ladies care for anythin' to drink?"

"Whatever you have will be fine."

I go to the kitchen and grab three sodas from the fridge then warm myself a cup of blood. Once everyone is settled, Mel pats Buffy on the leg and says, "Buffy, your milk contains the same basic elements as any other human, but there is something extra."

Buffy blanches a bit and squeezes my hand. "What is it?"

Fred pulls out a notepad and says, "Let me explain." She flips a couple pages on the pad. "Ok, the first thing I did was compare your blood to other slayer blood to establish a point of reference. If your blood was different from theirs, then it would follow that your milk would be, also. Your blood is the same, aside from differences in type and things of that nature. All slayer blood has a specific energy signature that differentiates it from human and demon blood."

"Energy signature? What, does it glow in the dark or something?"

Fred looks confused as she flips through her notes. "I don't know. I didn't test for that. I could, if you would like to know."

"Um… no, that's ok. What energy signature do you mean?"

"It's kind of like infra-red, but not. I used a scanner I devised to track demons by the amount of mystical energy they emit. Basic humans emit almost nothing. Slayers are in the top third of the scale. Your blood emits the same amount of energy as the other slayers."

"So my blood is the same. Ok. Now tell me about the extra?"

"Right. Because there are no other slayers who are currently lactating, I didn't have anything to compare your milk to slayer-wise. I did compare it to regular human milk, and the same basic components are there, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, etc. The scanner readings are where the differences showed up. The signatures of your blood and your milk are light years apart."

"Light years?"

"Yes. Think of it this way. Human blood is a candle. Your blood is a flood light. Your milk is a nuclear power plant."

"Nuclear. As in radioactive?"

"No. I tested for that as well, and it's not. It's just a comparison of mystical power."

"Why is my milk so much more mystical or whatever than my blood?"

"Impossible to say, since nothing like this has ever happened before. Could be because you were impregnated by a creature with almost as much mystical energy as yourself, using an object with a mystical signature off the scale, it multiplied your own energy exponentially."

"Right. What? Could you explain that in English? Non college finishing girl over here."

"Spike's energy combined with the energy from the talisman multiplied your energy.

"So why didn't it change my blood?"

"I don't know, but if I had to guess, I'd say because your blood was pre-existing. Your milk came after you had worn the talisman."

"So does Bug have mystical energy?"

"I haven't scanned him, but considering he's the product of two highly mystical creatures, I would say it's almost a certainty."

Buffy goes to the playpen and scoops Bug out of it, clutching him to her chest. "So is that good or bad?"

I get up and wrap them both in my arms. "I don't think it's good _or_ bad, pet, it just is."


	19. Ch 19 That's Life

Chapter 19 – That's Life

(Buffy POV)

"William Rupert Pratt! What do you think you're doing?" My twelve year old son starts guiltily and drops the weapon he's holding. It bounces off his unmade bed and lands on the floor at his feet.

He turns and smiles at me, his sapphire blue eyes sparkling above his razor sharp cheekbones. "Just training, Mum."

I hear giggling coming from the other side of his bed. "I hear you Liam and Lillian. Get out here and explain yourselves." Two children with dark brown hair and deep brown eyes pop up from behind the bed. "Sorry, Buffy, we were just watching Will."

I pick up the scythe and spin it around a few times, watching the light glint off the blade. "This thing could kill all of you in one swipe! You shouldn't be playing with it!"

Will pushes his curls out of his eyes, then looks down at the floor and mutters, "Dad and Gramps said I could."

I swallow a smirk, "Don't call Angel Gramps. He's not your Grandfather, plus it makes him crazy."

"He's Dad's Grandsire; isn't it the same thing? And Dad always laughs when I do."

Liam jumps up on the bed and starts bouncing, "Spike always calls my Da Peaches."

"And Captain Forehead." pipes up Lillian.

"Liam, quit jumping on the bed, and yes, I know what Spike calls Angel, but you children aren't allowed to, and that is totally not the point! Why are you playing with my weapon, Bug?"

Liam vaults off the bed and bumps into William, who stumbles and glares at him, then looks at me. "Aw Mum, don't call me that baby name!"

"Sorry. Will. Why do you have my Slayer scythe?"

He lifts his chin and looks at me defiantly, like a miniature Spike. "Dad said I could learn to fight, that I'm old enough."

I clench my jaw and growl, "Did he. We'll see about that." I stalk out of Will's room and into mine, dropping the scythe on top of my weapons chest as I stomp by.

I hear Liam whisper, "Your Da's in trouble now."

Will mutters, "Don't I know it."

I start pacing furiously around the room, clenching and unclenching my fists. * _Spike!_ * Anger, tinted with a bit of fear, washes over me in waves.

I can feel his sudden apprehension as he answers, * _Uh… y__es, luv?_ *

I grit my teeth and try not to shout. * _Bug. My weapon. Training?_ *

* _Uh… right. I'll be up in a mo'. _*

I sit on the edge of the bed and try to get my emotions under control as I slam my fist down into the mattress. Dammit! I don't want my baby fighting anyone or anything! Practically my whole life has been fighting and training and killing. I don't want that for William. I absently trace over the faint scars that still cover my arms. After what we went through to ensure his survival, I don't want him to throw it away. I know he's strong, almost as strong as me, but he's still a child. Fighting shouldn't even be on his mind. School, friends, and fun are what he should be worried about. I sigh loudly. But he's his father's son. Spike is a warrior, always loved the fight, the dance. Like he was born to it. I lie back on the bed and close my eyes. Dammit, can't he just wait until he's older? I want him to be a child as long as he can.

The kids have moved to the living room and are engrossed in a video game. I lean against the door frame and watch as they play. Three children brought into this world through magic, fathered by vampires who were never supposed to have children. All three suddenly jump to their feet, swinging their arms and stomping wildly, as they follow the game.

Will is tall and slender, almost as tall as I am, with light brown hair that he keeps a little too long, trying to grow the curls out. Liam is half a head taller than Will, even though Will is a year older. Liam is already filling out and is the spitting image of Angel, right down to the spiky hair that grows straight up. Lillian is slender and just a little shorter than Will, with fine features, and long, soft hair that falls to her waist.

She suddenly shouts and elbows her brother out of the way. He pushes her back a little too hard and she crashes into Will, knocking them both back onto the couch in a tangle of arms and legs. They both blush a deep scarlet and quickly separate while Liam laughs.

Spike is almost here. "Will, I'm going to talk to your father. Why don't you kids go visit Willow and Xander? They could probably use a little help with the triplets. Willow says they've been crawling more and are getting into everything."

Lillian's eyes light up while the boys groan. "Do you think she'd let me take them down to the gardens?"

"Probably, as long as the boys help you." More groaning. "Will, do you have your phone? And don't roll your eyes at me."

"Yes, Mum, I have my phone." He walks up to me and wraps me in a hug then whispers in my ear. "Love you, Mum. Don't yell at Dad too much, ok? I asked him to show me how to fight."

I whisper back. "I'm not going to yell at him, Bug. We're going to have a calm, rational discussion."

He smirks at me, "Discussion. Right." He walks to the door and opens it, then jerks his head at the twins. "Let's go so my parents can have a _discussion_."

Lillian steps through the door and bumps into Spike, then blushes and backs up into Will, knocking her off balance. Will gently grasps her arms and steadies her as her blush deepens. "Um, hi Spike."

Spike smiles down at her, "'Lo pet, where you off to?"

"Willow's. We're going to take the babies for a walk." Liam and Will both groan, but Will is smiling.

Will slides one hand to her elbow and gently guides her out into the hall. "See you later, Dad. Good Luck." Spike raises his eyebrow and glances over at me. I try to keep my face still and calm, but I can see he's not buying it.

He chuckles, "Oh sure, you leave and let me stay to catch hell from your Mum."

Will turns and smiles, "She told me she wasn't gonna yell at you."

"Not her yellin' I'm worried 'bout, son, she's got a wicked right hook." He reaches up and rubs his jaw as he winks at me.

Will chuckles, "Right, Dad. Just duck. See you later."

Spike snorts, "Duck. Yeah, I'll try to remember that. Have fun with the kiddies."

Liam trots after them and I hear him giggle and whisper, "Let the shagging begin."

Spike bellows, "Liam Jenkins!"

I hear a squeak, then, "Sorry, sir." Bug's laughter echoes down the hallway.

XXXXX

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(Spike POV)

I chuckle as I close the door and turn to Buffy. "That boy. Always in trouble. Wonder if that's what Peaches was like when he was a kid?" I stroll over to the couch and plop down, smirking at Buffy. "So, pet, what's got your knickers in a knot?"

She walks over and sits down next to me, anger apparent in her eyes. "You told Bug you would teach him to fight."

I nod slowly. "Yeah. He asked me to. I think he's old enough now, luv."

She jumps to her feet and starts pacing angrily in front of the couch. "He is not old enough! He's still a child, Spike! I don't want his life to be fighting and killing." She leans down and pokes me in the chest with each word. -poke- "I" -poke- "want" -poke- "his" -poke- "life" -poke- "to" -poke- "be" -poke- "normal."

I look down at her finger on my chest, then blink up at her as her anger deflates and she drops down beside me, laying her head on my shoulder. "Well, as normal as it can be, with us as his parents."

I take her hand in mine and rub small circles on the back of it with my thumb. "He's twelve, pet, be thirteen soon. He's almost a man and should know how to defend himself, especially **because** we're his parents. There's demons out there that would give anythin' to nick the child of The Slayer and William the Bloody."

"As long as he stays here, he'll be safe."

I pull Buffy onto my lap and nuzzle her neck. "We can't keep him locked up in this buildin' forever, luv, and we can't be with him every minute. I know you want to protect him, but teachin' him to take care of himself is protectin' him."

She buries her face in my neck, "I just don't want him to get hurt, Spike."

"Of course he's gonna get hurt, luv. That's life. Remember when he was three and snatched the knife off the counter? He sliced his hand open right proper, but he was healed up by the end of the week, and now doesn't even have a scar. He's got our strength, pet. He'll be fine." I squeeze her tight and nibble at her earlobe. "Besides, we've enough of your milk stockpiled to last us 'til the end of days, which, considerin' our history, could be next week."

She giggles and presses her lips to mine, gently teasing them open with her tongue. She kisses along my jaw and nibbles on my earlobe then breathes softly into my ear, "Fine, we'll train him. Now, unknot my knickers, Mr. Pratt."

I slide my hand under her shirt and gently caress her breast, "Gladly, Mrs. Pratt."


	20. Ch 20 Pretty

Chapter 20 – Pretty

(Bug POV)

We wrestle the strollers through the door and drop the diaper bags on the couch. "Willow, Xander, you guys here?" Willow and Xander come out of the kitchen and smile at their babies. I nod toward the strollers, "They fell asleep on the way up here, where do you want us to put them?"

Willow bends down and unclips the straps on one stroller, "We'll put them in their room. This is their long nap of the day." Lillian and I help Willow get the babies out of the strollers and into their cribs, while Liam and Xander joke around in the kitchen.

Lillian tucks a blanket around one of the boys then turns to Willow, "Willow, when can we do another magic lesson? I've been practicing the spells you gave me and I floated a pencil across my room last night!"

"Coolness, Lillian! Wow, I wasn't able to do that until high school. How about tomorrow about this time? The kids will be asleep and Xan will be here if they wake up. Meet me in my office, okay?"

"Great, Willow, thanks."

Willow snaps off the nursery light and pulls the door shut. "Thanks for taking the kids, did you guys have fun?"

Lillian giggles, "Will and I did, but I don't think Liam did. Sophie spit up on him." We're all laughing as we walk into the kitchen.

Xander asks, "What's so funny?"

Lillian grabs Liam's jacket and opens it to show the huge spit-up stain down the front of his shirt. Xander snickers and says, "Sophie?" Liam nods. "Sorry, Liam. Your mom says she should outgrow that soon. She was the smallest, so she's taking a little longer than the boys."

Liam shrugs and looks embarrassed. "It's ok, Xander. I don't mind."

Lillian hooks her arms around ours and pulls us toward the door. "We better get going. See you at the party later."

We walk out into the hallway and Liam heads for the elevators. Lillian asks, "Where you going, Li?" I barely hear his answer because Lillian still has her arm wrapped around mine.

"Upstairs. I need a new shirt, then we can go back to Will's flat and hang out."

XXXXX

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(Bug POV)

We're standing outside my door, trying not to listen to the growls and moans coming from inside. Liam elbows me in the ribs, "See? Shagging. Told ya."

Lillian scowls at him. "Shut up, Li."

I point to his spit-up covered shirt, "Yeah? Not like your parents are any different." I turn around and look down the hallway, "So, what do we do now?"

Lillian takes our arms and drags us toward the elevators. "Our birthday party starts in a few hours, we could go check out the party room, or we could go to the training room and mess around."

Liam and I both say, "Training room."

XXXXX

XXXXX

(Bug POV)

Liam is punching the bag hanging in the corner, I'm throwing knives at a human shaped target, and Lillian sits on the weapons chest watching us. She gets to her feet and walks to the middle of the room. "Boys, come here for a sec. I want to try something."

She has us sit cross-legged in the middle of the floor, forming a triangle with our knees touching. "'Kay, we need to hold hands and close our eyes." I close my eyes and a shock goes up my arm when I feel her hand slip into mine.

Liam wraps his large hand around my smaller one and says, "What are you going to do, Lil?"

She squeezes my hand, "Try to levitate us, now shut up and close your eyes."

She starts chanting weird words in a low voice, squeezing my hand harder as her voice gets louder. I feel my butt lifting off the floor when my cell phone rings. Lillian jerks her hand and I drop back to the floor. "Will! You were supposed to turn that off!"

I dig my phone out of my pocket and flip it open. "Hi, Mum."

"Training room with the twins."

"We did come up to the flat, but you guys were kinda... busy, so we came down here."

"'Kay, we'll be up in a little while. Love ya, Mum."

I flip my phone closed and smile at Lillian. "Can't turn it off, Lill. If I don't answer when my Mum calls, I never hear the end of it. You'd think I was four years old the way she keeps tabs on me all the time, I mean, where does she think I'm gonna go? Can't leave the building. Tried once. Some kind of force field or something kept me from walking out the door."

Lillian giggles, "It's a containment spell. Willow told me about it. It keeps all three of us from leaving the building unless we have one of our parents with us."

"Why?"

She rolls her eyes, "Duh. Our dads are vampires. Two of the most notorious vampires in history. And your Mum's The Slayer. Not just A slayer. THE Slayer. The one that distributed slayer power to all the potentials in the world. That makes us targets for any demon with a grudge or delusions of grandeur."

Liam snorts. "Delusions of grandeur? Where'd you hear that?"

She shrugs, "Some movie, I forget. Anyway, that's why we can't leave the building."

I tilt my head, thinking. "What about stuff coming in? Does the spell keep delusional demons out?"

She shakes her head. "Not that spell, but there are wards on the building that keep things out."

"How do you know all this?"

She shrugs, "Some from Willow, but most of it from Wes and Giles. They let me read their books sometimes. You should read the stuff about our dads. They were called The Scourge of Europe when they were with Darla and Drusilla. They killed thousands and thousands of people before they got their souls back and went good. I had to sneak those books. Giles thinks I'm too young to read about most of the stuff they did."

Liam seems a little interested. "What kind of stuff?"

Lillian blushes just a little. "Murder… uh… s..sex… torture… you know… vampire stuff."

"I think I would like to read that. Mum and Dad told me some of Dad's history, but not much. Guess they don't think I'm old enough to handle it."

Liam stands up and drags us up with him. "This is all major interesting, and maybe Lill can get us those books, but right now we better get up there before your Mum sends out a rescue squad."

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(Spike POV)

The twins are buried in a pile of presents. Liam is tearing his open with abandon and shouting when he gets something good, while Lillian carefully unwraps hers, thanking each person. Bug is sitting next to Lillian, taking the opened gifts and organizing them into piles for her, then taking the carefully folded wrapping paper and stacking it up. I lean over and whisper in Buffy's ear. "When and where did Bug learn to be such a gentleman? Wasn't he chasin' her and tryin' to dump a glass of water on her head, not two weeks ago?"

Buffy giggles, "He's your son, probably learned it from you. You can be quite the gentleman when you want to." I'm sure I look embarrassed, and I'm thankful again that I can't blush. Buffy looks over at me and smiles, "He likes her, Spike. You should see them together when he thinks no one is watching. He takes her elbow and guides her when they walk, and opens doors for her, and fetches her things. It's so cute."

Willow leans over and picks Jesse up off the floor where he's chewing on my chair leg, "What's cute?"

Buffy tickles Jesse's belly and says, "Bug and Lillian. Where's Xander?"

"He took Johnny out because he was getting a little fussy. Could you hold Sophie? She's getting tired of being in her stroller."

Buffy takes Sophie out of her stroller and cuddles her close, murmuring low to her. Willow suddenly stands and plops Jesse into my lap. I grab hold of him just before he dives off. "What's up, Red?"

"Xander is talking at me." She points to the small receiver in her ear. "Something about Johnny's butt exploding." She grabs a huge diaper bag and heads for the door.

I laugh and stand Jesse up on my legs. He grabs hold of my lip with one hand and my hair with the other. "Oi! Bloody brute!" I hold him away from my face, trying to dodge his pudgy hands, and look over at Buffy.

She's snickering as she rubs her nose on Sophie's belly, making her giggle. "What's the matter, Big Bad? Baby too much for ya?"

I growl. "No. Why d'you get the quiet baby and I get the demon?"

She smiles up at me. "Takes one to know one, I guess."

Now he's got hold of the talisman chain through my shirt. I hold him with one hand and try to unclench his little fingers with the other. "How do Red and the whelp keep up with these sprogs? I'm ever so glad we only had the one."

She giggles at me fighting with the baby over my talisman. "Willow loves being a mom. She didn't think she'd ever get to 'cause Kennedy is not what you would call a kid-friendly person. That's pretty much why they broke up."

"And then she ended up with Harris. Kinda saw that one comin'."

"Yeah, she's had a huge crush on him since high school, but she let him go his own way and she went hers. Took him a long time to get over Anya, and Willow was there to help him through it. Guess he finally figured it out."

I smirk at her. "Yeah, takes some people longer than others to suss out their feelings. Sometimes it even takes an apocalypse."

She reaches over and squeezes my knee. "Yeah."

The twins have finished with their presents and are standing behind a huge cake. Melinda lights the candles and starts singing Happy Birthday. Everybody joins in, singing loudly, with Angel the loudest of all. When the song is finished, the kids lean over and blow out the candles. I nod toward Angel, "You know, pet, if Peaches grins any wider his head is gonna split open."

Melinda cuts a piece of cake and hands it to Liam, who promptly turns and smashes it into Angel's face. The entire room gasps and falls silent. Angel slowly wipes the frosting from his eyes and steps toward his son. Everyone in the room is holding their breath when he roars with laughter, scoops up a handful of cake and rubs it into Liam's hair and all over his face. Melinda and Liam gang up on Angel and get him down to the floor, rubbing cake all over his head.

Lillian grabs a piece of cake and upturns it onto Will's head, then squishes it into his hair with her fingers, while he stands quietly grinning from ear to ear. He grabs a piece of cake and Lillian takes off running around the room, screaming with laughter. He finally corners her behind the table, but just barely pushes the cake against her face, so she gets just a bit of frosting on her nose. She takes the piece and adds it to the one already in his hair.

There isn't much of the cake left when Melinda and Angel get back to their feet and haul Liam up beside them. Angel pulls Mel into a kiss and then hugs each twin, getting cake all over Lillian. Will steps up beside Lillian and puts his arm around her shoulders while everyone in the room laughs and takes pictures of the cake covered creatures.

I'm laughing so hard tears are running down my face, and Buffy is holding her side, trying not to drop Sophie. Willow and Xander walk back in the room, take in the scene at the front, and double over laughing. Xander drops, gasping, into the chair next to me. "I sure hope somebody taped whatever happened to make them look like that. I'd love to see it."

I take a deep breath and wipe my face, "There's cameras all over this buildin', Harris. You and I should pop by security and see if we can get hold of the video. Maybe play it at the Christmas party, yeah? Let all the minions see their boss covered in cake."

Buffy pokes me in the ribs, "You better not. Mel still has copies of those pictures from when you fell asleep on the couch and Lillian made you _pretty. _Wouldn't want those to get out, right, Mr. Scourge of Europe?"

Xander snorts, "Pretty, huh?"

Buffy laughs, "Yeah, he had makeup, sparkly lip gloss, pink butterfly clips in his hair, the works. I don't know how he slept through it. She about yanked half his hair out trying to get the clips just right."

_* Who said I was sleepin', pet? *_

She looks at me, incredulous. _* You weren't? *_

I grin and wink at her._ * Nope. She was cryin' 'cause the boys wouldn't let her dress 'em up, and I can't stand to see a beautiful girl in tears, so I pretended to be asleep. *_

Buffy leans over and pulls me in for a long, soft kiss. _* You're an amazing man, Spike. *_


	21. Ch 21 Demon Guts

Chapter 21 – Demon Guts

(Bug POV)

Something is tapping on my forehead. I open my eyes and see Liam looming over me in the dark. "What the hell are you doing here, Li? What time is it?"

He stands up and leans against my dresser, "Almost midnight. Lillian wants to go to the training room to try that levitation thing again."

"Now?"

"Yeah. She says it's not actually our birthday until midnight, so she wants to be doing magic right when she turns twelve." He shrugs. "Must be a girl thing."

I groan as I roll over and fish around under my bed, then get to my feet and pull my jeans on. "You know my Mum will kill me if she finds out about this."

He snorts, "Yeah, so will mine. So?"

I stop buttoning my jeans and look up at him, "Uh… my Mum's a bit stronger than yours, Li, and she has lots of sharp, pointy weapons."

His eyes light up and he jogs to my door. "See you in the hall in a minute."

I start to ask what he's doing, but he's already gone. Great. I hunt for my shirt and dig my boots out from under the bed, then clasp them to my chest. I ease my door open and cock an ear to my parent's room. Just my Mum breathing. Dad usually doesn't when he's asleep, so I'm not sure if he's in there. He didn't say anything about patrolling tonight, though, so he probably is.

I remember when I found out about the whole not breathing thing. I was six and Mum sent me in to wake him up. I started screaming that he was dead. He sat up and put his hand on my shoulder and then I just screamed. After they got me calmed down, they explained about the vampire thing and he showed me his demon. I haven't seen it much since then, only a few times when I've watched him train with Angel. He usually doesn't even change when he drinks his pig blood. He gave me a sip of it once. It was gross. He laughed at the face I made and told me that he doesn't really like it either, but he drinks it anyway. That's probably why he puts stuff in it, like that weird cereal or burba weed.

I tiptoe to the front door, stopping as I see the bare hook next to the door where my Dad's duster usually hangs. Crap. He's out patrolling. He usually gets in really late, so hopefully we can get down there and back before he gets home. I open the door slowly, stopping just before the spot where the hinges squeak, then slip through the opening and close it quietly behind me.

Liam and Lillian are standing at the other end of the hallway waving at me to hurry up. I jog down in my bare feet and stop to pull on my boots, a pair of beat up Docs just like my Dad's. When I straighten up, I notice that Lillian is looking at me weird. Her eyes seem to be glued to my naked chest. She's seen me without a shirt before, I think Mum even has pictures of the three of us taking a bath together when we were little, but now she's blushing. I feel my own cheeks getting warm, so I quickly pull my shirt over my head then smile at her. Her eyes meet mine and she blushes even more.

She turns toward the elevators, fiddling with the locket around her neck, as I turn to look at Liam. He's holding my Mum's Slayer weapon. I reach out and snatch it out of his hand, "What are you doing with this, Li? Are you trying to get me killed? Mum will go nuclear if she finds out we took it."

He shrugs, "Thought maybe Lil could levitate it or something. Let's go." I roll my eyes and glance back toward my flat for a second then shrug and follow them down to the training room.

Lil has us sit the same way we did before. Liam balances the weapon on our legs, so part of it is touching each of us, then starts fishing in his pocket. He pulls out a chain and holds it up.

"My Dad's talisman? Are you completely carrot top? It's bad enough my Mum's going to murder me, now you want my Dad in on it too?" I grab the necklace out of his hands and put it around my neck.

He scowls at me, "Quit being such a baby, Will. We'll get them back before anyone even knows they're gone."

Lillian pokes both of us in the arm. "'Kay guys, shut up and give me your hands. Let's see if I can float this thing."

XXXXX

XXXXX

(Spike POV)

"Soddin' demons. Gettin' their rancid guts all over my boots. And my duster! Bloody Hell!"

Gunn turns around and shines his flashlight on me as Angel asks, "What are you muttering about, Spike?"

I hold up my hand to keep the light out of my eyes and glare at him. "Nothin'. Anythin' else we need to kill tonight?"

He shakes his head, "Not that I've heard. Unless we run into something on our way back."

I heft the battle axe in my hand and mutter, "Here's hopin'."

"What?"

"Nothin'." I move up to walk beside him. "Buffy and I are gonna start trainin' Bug. D'you want to include Liam and Lillian?"

Angels nods, "Liam yeah, but Lill's not really a fighter. She's more into magic."

I laugh, "I've seen her playin' games with the boys, Peaches. She holds 'er own. 'Sides, couldn't hurt to train her up a bit anyway. She might surprise you."

Angel grins, "She does, all the time."

"Buffy was tellin' me that Bug likes her. Opens doors for her and fetches her things."

"Yeah?"

"That doesn't bother you, does it?"

He chuckles, "It probably should, since he's your son, but no. I know he's a good kid, but if he does anything to hurt her…."

"You won't have to do anythin', mate. I will."

"I know."

We make it back to Wolfram & Hart without finding anything else to kill. I take the demon gut covered weapons and drop them in the armory for cleaning, then head down the hall to the elevators. There's a light on in the training room. We're back kind of early, so maybe I'll stop in and spar with whoever's in there.

I push through the doors and stop dead, gaping. The kids are sitting with their eyes closed, in the middle of the floor, surrounded by a bubble of blue light. Buffy's Slayer scythe is floating in a slow circle about eight feet above the floor with a tendril of blue energy tracking from the weapon to something on Bug's chest. My talisman! What the hell are they doing?

"William, what is this?" No response at all. I raise my voice a bit. "Lillian, shut this down!" Nothing. I walk over to Bug and reach into the bubble to touch his shoulder. The light bubble expands and surrounds me. It feels the same as the energy that surrounded me after I killed Evil Bunny. Oh bugger, this can't be good. Need to get whatever this is shut down.

I place one hand on Bug's head to steady myself and lean in, reaching for the weapon with the other. The light crackles across my skin and explodes in a bright flash as soon as my hand grasps the weapon. The blast throws me and the scythe across the room and I almost stake myself with the bloody thing when I hit the wall.

I look over at the kids, who are blinking and rubbing their eyes like they just woke up. "William."

He jumps and spins around. "Dad! What are you doing here?"

I pull in a ragged breath and manage to croak out, "Sittin' and bleedin' with your Mum's weapon stickin' out of my chest. You?"

"Um..."

"Yeah. Um. Liam and Lillian, clear out. Go home. This is between me and my son." The twins jump to their feet and start for the door. Lillian stops and looks worriedly at William then pushes through the door, dragging her brother behind her.

Will rushes over to me as the doors swing shut. "How far in does it go, Dad?"

I'm having trouble getting enough air to speak with. Think my lung's collapsed. "All the way, I think. Can feel blood drippin' down my back."

He glances nervously toward the doors, "Shouldn't I get Mum or Mel or somebody?" He looks almost ready to cry.

I pull in another ragged, painful breath and gasp out, "No, just pull it out. Watch the blade. Wicked sharp."

He drops to his knees beside me and grabs my hand. "Won't that kill you?"

I shake my head, "Removin' a stake doesn't kill vamps, Bug." I have to stop and take a few shallow breaths until the pain subsides somewhat. I pull in another deep breath and try to speak quickly, "The only things that'll dust me are fire, beheading and a stake through the heart. This one missed my heart, not by much, but it did."

I have to stop again when I start coughing up blood. Bug's eyes get huge and he looks like he's going to burst into tears any second as he watches the blood dripping down my chin. I pull in another ragged breath, "It's gonna hurt like a bitch and I'll probably yell when you pull it out, but I'll live." I squeeze his hand. "You can do this, Bug. Let's get on with it, yeah?"

He swallows and takes a deep breath then stands up.

"Right then. Grab hold, and when I count three, pull it straight out. Ready?" He nods. "One. Two. Thr...Aaaaagghh! Bloody Buggerin' Fuck!"

I hear the scythe clatter to the floor as Bug drops to his knees beside me and presses his hands to the gaping hole in my chest, trying to stop the bleeding. "Dad! Are you ok?"

I pant through the pain, "Not yet, Bug. Give us the talisman." He snatches it off and drops the chain over my head, then watches awestruck as the hole in my chest closes. He wipes the blood away and gasps then looks up at me.

I take a deep breath and get to my feet, wiping the blood from my chin. "Now I'm ok. Angry, but ok. Pick up the scythe." He picks it up and holds it out to me. I shake my head. "Bug, I know what this necklace does. You don't, so you shouldn't be playin' with it. That weapon you're holdin' is powerful and dangerous and not to be trifled with. Your Mum already took it away from you once, and yet here you are playin' with it again. You're smarter than this, William."

His bottom lip trembles as he shouts, "But Liam's the one who took them!"

I glare at him with hard eyes, "That may be, but you didn't put them back."

He gives me a petulant glare and whines, "That's not fair!"

"Life is hardly ever fair, William. You tell me that you're old enough to fight, to be a man. Now you need to show me." I shrug out of my duster and strip off my shirt. "I want you to stake me, here." I say, pointing to the spot on my chest directly above my heart.

He backs up a step as his mouth drops open. "What? No! I can't!"

I growl at him, my eyes flashing amber. "Yes. You can. Lesson the First. If you're gonna be foolin' 'round with mystical items, you need to know what they can do. Now stake me."

He raises the scythe and holds it up, barely touching my chest with the point. He looks into my eyes and I nod. "Do it, Bug."

He draws it back and holds it, shaking his head. "I can't."

"Why not?"

A tear spills out of his eye, "Because I could kill you!"

"That's right, you could, but you won't."

He tilts his head, "What?"

I hold up the talisman. "This. When I put it on, it healed the stake wound. Now I can't be staked as long as I'm wearin' it."

"Really?"

"Really. Now take your best shot."

He considers for a moment, then raises the weapon and slams it home.


	22. Ch 22 Dreams

Chapter 22 – Dreams

(Spike POV)

Bug drops the scythe and stares at me, then presses his finger to the tiny dimple on my chest directly over my heart. "I staked you! I did! I hit you as hard as I could!"

I place my hand gently on his shoulder, "I know you did, Bug. I felt the power. Now do you understand why you shouldn't fool with things when you don't know their purpose? If you hadn't been messin' with this..." I hold up the talisman. "and this..." I pick up the scythe. "I wouldn't have been staked in the first place. It was close, Bug. Half an inch to my right and I would've fit in an ashtray."

He wraps his arms around me and sobs into my chest. "I'm sorry, Dad. God, we almost killed you!"

I gently caress his hair and murmur. "I know, Bug, but you didn't, and you've learned somethin' important. And hey, now I'm stake-proof, so that's somethin', yeah?'

"Yeah. I'm sorry you got hurt, Dad." He slumps his shoulders and looks at the floor. "Mum's gonna kill me, isn't she?"

I squeeze him tight and place a kiss on the top of his head. "Probably."

Angel storms into the room, followed closely by the twins. "Spike! What the hell? Liam told me you were staked!"

"Was. M'not anymore." I point to the talisman on my chest.

He nods. "Right." He reaches behind him and pulls Lillian around to face him. "What happened in here?"

She blushes and glances at Bug then drops her eyes to the floor. "Um, I was levitating the weapon and then we were all in the middle of some grass. Spike appeared behind Will, then we woke up and Spike had the scythe sticking out of him."

My stomach plummets into my boots. "Lillian," I lay my hand on her shoulder and gently turn her around. "Did you see any rabbits where you were, luv?"

She gives me a strange look and shakes her head. "Just grass."

_* Liam! Move! * _ The force hits me like a hammer. A troll hammer.

I stagger and shake my head trying to clear it. _* Buffy? *_

_* Run William! Lillian! Get down! * _ Pain. Like the chip, only worse. My hands fly up and clutch my head as I fall onto the weapons chest. I can feel her fear. She's not just scared, she's terrified.

_* Spike! Get William! No! Noooooo! SPIKE! * _ Blinding pain. Feels like my brain is gonna explode. My body clenches as I howl and slide to the floor.

Angel drops down beside me and pulls my hands from my head. I try to focus on him but all I see are swirling black spots. "Spike, what's wrong?"

I turn my head to where I think his voice is coming from and choke out, "Buffy. Yelling... screaming... in my head." He pulls me to my feet and I wobble, about to fall.

William is suddenly beside me. He puts my arm over his shoulders and holds me up. "Dad, you're bleeding." I blink at him. "Your ears and nose. You're bleeding."

I close my eyes against the pain and mumble, "Need to... get to your… Mum."

Angel steps in front of me, grabs me and slings me over his shoulder. "Let's go."

XXXXX

XXXXX

(Spike POV)

"Buffy!" Angel shouts for her before he's even through the door. The flat is dark and quiet. The kids run through the rooms, turning on lights, as Angel heads straight for the bedroom and drops me on the empty bed. "She's not here. Where would she go?"

I shake my head. Ow. Shouldn't have done that. "Don't… know, mate. Head... hurts... too bad for… me to feel her." I fall back on the bed as another wave of pain washes over me.

Lillian grabs Angel's hand and starts trying to drag him toward the door. "We can get Willow to do a spell. She can find her!"

"Liam, get your Mum and Giles. William, stay with your Da. Lillian, you get Willow. I'm going down to the vault to get some of Buffy's milk for Spike. Need to get him back on his game. Let's move."

Bug gets a towel from the bathroom, wets it, and sits down next to me as Angel and the twins quickly leave the flat. "Where do you think Mum is?" he asks as he gently cleans the blood from my face and chest.

"Don't know, Bug. Tryin' to... track her. Hurts." I can't feel anything except for the blinding pain in my head. If I didn't know better, I'd think the chip was back and malfunctioning again. I roll to my side and try to focus as Bug sponges the blood off my back. Her robe is draped over the chair next to the bed. I stare at it as black spots swirl across my vision, and only barely see something move in the dark corner behind the chair.

I bring forth my demon and try to see through the haze of pain. Flash of pink. Hint of blonde. I reach behind me and grasp Bug's arm. "The chair. Behind... the chair."

He pulls the chair away from the corner and gasps. Buffy is stuffed as far back into the corner as she can get, hugging her knees to her chest and sobbing silently. "Mum?" He kneels in front of her and gently puts his hand on her arm. "Mummy?"

She starts and lifts her tear-stained face. "William?"

"Yeah, Mum, what's wrong?"

"William!" she shrieks and pulls him into a rib-cracking hug, sobbing into his long hair. "You were dead. All of you were dead."

"Buffy, luv?" I raise up on one elbow and reach for her.

She vaults up from the corner, dragging Bug with her, and barrels into me, knocking me back. She wraps one arm around me and pulls Bug in with the other, then squeezes us both together, sobbing, "Dead. All of you. Dead."

"Not dead... luv. Bug… needs air." His gasping seems to snap her back to the here and now. She lets us loose and sits up so she's between us. She brushes Bug's hair away from his eyes and wraps his hand in hers. "You were all dead. They killed you." She strokes my face and rubs her thumb across my cheekbone.

"Who killed us, Mum? What are you talking about?" Another wave of pain slices through my head and I moan.

Buffy looks at me then turns to Bug and he frowns, "Dad's hurt."

"He's... How?"

"Said you were screaming in his head. He started bleeding from his ears and nose. Angel had to carry him up here."

She takes my head in her hands and stares into my eyes. Faintly, I feel her touch my mind, then she reels back and clutches her head. "Oh God, Spike! I did this to you? I'm sorry!" She peppers gentle kisses to my forehead and cheeks.

"Why… were... screamin'? What... happened?"

All the blood drains from her face as she remembers. "I was dreaming. The grass place where you killed that damned rabbit. It was there, and you were fighting it, and then there were more. Then the kids were there and the rabbits were killing you. They killed all of you." She sobs and wraps her arms around us, crushing us together again.

"Just a... dream, pet."

She whispers, "Not just a dream. A Slayer dream."

XXXXX

XXXXX

(Spike POV)

Lillian bolts into the room, dragging a sleepy Willow behind her. "You found her! Where was she?"

Buffy still has us wrapped up and is sobbing into my chest. Bug moves to sit up and Buffy latches on to his hand and won't let it go. He points to the corner with his other hand. "She was hiding behind the chair. She had a Slayer dream."

Willow starts and her face goes white. "What about?"

He looks over Buffy's head at me and I nod slightly. He turns back to Willow. "Something about rabbits killing us."

Willow blanches and staggers to the chair, then collapses into it. "Us? Who us?"

Buffy sits up and wipes her face with the sleeve of her pajama top. "Spike, Bug and the twins."

Lillian goes pale and drops onto the bed next to Bug. He puts his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close as she buries her face in his neck and wraps her arms around him.

The front door opens with a bang and Angel strides into the room, holding a bottle of milk. He starts, but from seeing Buffy, or from seeing his daughter hugging my son, I'm not sure. He holds the bottle out and says, "Here, Spike, drink this."

Lillian sits up and looks quizzically at the small bottle, then says, "That's Buffy's milk? Like hers, she owns it? Or hers, from her? And why does drinking it help Spike?"

Angel looks embarrassed. "It's her... uh… breast milk. It heals Spike faster than her blood does."

She doesn't seem squicked by that at all. "Oh. Ok. Shouldn't we warm it up or something? Isn't it frozen?"

Angel shakes the bottle. "No. It feels warm already."

Lillian stands and puts her hands on her hips. "Ok, somebody needs to explain to me just what the heck is going on. Da, if that's Buffy's breast milk, then why isn't it frozen? Hello, Will is **twelve**! I know women don't have milk for **twelve years**! If you don't freeze it, then doesn't it go bad?"

Angel opens his mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. He seems flustered and hugely embarrassed. Guess Mel is in charge of the birds and bees department.

Willow comes to his rescue. "We didn't want to freeze it because we didn't know if it would mess it up by freezing and then heating it, so we stored it using magic. The witches and I created a magic... well… cupboard, I guess, where time moves differently. A minute in the cupboard is like a hundred years out here."

"So, this bottle that's..." She takes the bottle from Angel and looks at the date written on it. "eleven years old out here, is only a few seconds old in there?"

Willow nods, "Yeah, pretty much."

Lillian smiles. "Cool." She walks over and hands me the bottle. "Bottoms up, Spike." then turns and puts her hands back on her hips. "Now, who wants to explain Slayer dreams?"


	23. Ch 23 Evil Bunny Butt

Chapter 23 – Evil Bunny Butt

(Spike POV)

"That's some daughter you've got there, mate." I whisper to Angel as we walk out to the living room to continue the discussion. "She was a bitty Buffy there for a tic. Halfway expected 'er to punch me in the nose. She sure knows what she wants. "

He chuckles, "Don't I know it, just like her Mum. Hard to remember she's only twelve."

"Yeah, she's gonna be a force to be reckoned with, that's for sure. I can already smell the power rollin' off her. She could give Red a run for her money when she gets trained up."

Angel stops just outside the living room and turns to face me. "When she started showing an interest in magic, I had some research done to find out what kind of power she could have. Turns out Mel and I both have powerful witches in our family line. All that power in my little girl. I just hope it doesn't break her."

"If she's shown how to use it proper, she'll be fine, Peaches. Red's a good teacher, and she's been deep into dark magicks and come back, so she knows what to look for and what to avoid."

"Yeah, but I still worry."

"Part of bein' a father, I guess." I laugh and clap him on the back. "Who'd have ever thought two Master Vampires would be discussin' their kids? If Darla could see us now! She'd probably stake the both of us purely on principle."

"Well, she did stake herself to save Connor, so she might understand."

"How is Connor? Have you seen him lately?"

"Yeah, I've seen him. He's married and has a child of his own now. I keep pretty close tabs on him to make sure nothing finds out who he is. You and I are the only two who know the truth, and you only know in case something happens to me."

"You ever gonna tell him who he is?"

"Not if I can help it."

We step into the living room just as Lillian takes a seat on the small couch and pulls Bug down beside her. Buffy settles into our comfy chair and I head to the kitchen. "Anybody want anything?"

I get a chorus of answers and start gathering drinks and nibbles. Gonna be a long night. Liam's back with Mel, Giles and Wes in tow. Apparently Fred and Gunn are rounding up one of the firm's nannies to watch the triplets so Harris can be here.

_*__ You ok, Spike? Need any help? *_

_*__ I'm fine, pet. Your milk did the trick. *_

_*__ I'm sorry I hurt you, Spike. *_

_*__ No worries, pet. You didn't mean to. Are you doin' alright? *_

_*__ No, not really. Still a little wigged. *_

_*__ We'll suss this out, luv. Least we have a heads up this time and know what we're dealin' with and how to beat it. *_

_*__ Yeah, I guess. *_

Everybody's settled in and munching on nibbles when Giles speaks up. "Where should we start? Training room incident or Slayer dream?"

I nod to Lillian. "I think Lill should explain exactly what they were doin' in the trainin' room."

She nods a little shakily, with everyone staring at her, and takes a deep breath. "Um, I wanted to practice the levitation spell Willow showed me. Liam and I came to get Will, and I guess Li took the scythe and Spike's talisman while Will was getting dressed." Buffy, Angel, and Mel all glare at Liam, who's trying his level best to become one with the couch.

"We got set up in our circle, and Liam put the scythe on our legs, then dug out the talisman. Will freaked and took it away from him and put it on. I started chanting, and the scythe started glowing, and floated way up above our heads. This huge blue bubble surrounded us, and when part of the light connected the talisman and the scythe, we jumped to somewhere else. Will and Liam both had their eyes closed, but I saw a bunch of grass and someone… or something… standing off in the distance, then Spike showed up behind Will. When he touched Will's head, the light flashed and we woke up back in the training room, and the scythe was stuck in Spike's chest."

Buffy bolts upright and turns to face me. "The scythe was what?"

"Uh… stuck in my chest, luv. Damn near staked myself. I tried to talk to the kids to get 'em to stop whatever mojo they had goin' on, but they couldn't hear me, I guess. I stood behind Bug and grabbed the scythe. Soon as I touched it, the bubble exploded and tossed me across the room. The scythe came with me, pointy end first."

Buffy leans back into me again, and gives me a little jab in the ribs with her elbow. _*__ You're lucky you didn't dust, mister, or I would've killed you! *_

I smile and wrap my arms around her. _*__ Duly noted, luv. *_

Giles shakes his head at me. "That was a very foolhardy thing to do, Spike. Interrupting a spell can have disastrous consequences."

"Yeah? Well, I wasn't too keen on havin' my son and Angel's sprogs fightin' that soddin' rabbit. I knew as soon as the energy surrounded me that's what they were gonna be dealin' with. It's the same energy that sent me back here after I killed it last time."

Buffy presses back into me and whispers, "I don't think it's dead."

Wes nods and pulls out a notepad and a huge book. "It would seem that the Night Child prophecy was not concluded when Spike fought the Great Evil thirteen years ago. I researched the prophecy for a while after and found some other interesting passages."

Giles asks, "Such as?"

"Well, where it speaks to the existence of the child sired of a demon, we had assumed it meant only William because he was the only one we knew of at the time. A passage further along in the prophecy could be interpreted to mean children. Plural instead of singular. We now have three children who have a demon father. The passage isn't clear if only one, or all, need die for the Great Evil to prevail." He looks up from the book and tries to smile at Buffy. "Buffy, could you tell us about your dream? That could give us some clues."

I give her a squeeze. _*__ I'm here, pet. *_ She twines our fingers together and takes a deep breath.

"Ok. Um, I was in a huge field with nothing but grass. Spike ran past me, in his duster, carrying my weapon. I yelled at him, but he didn't answer, so I followed him and watched as he attacked this freakishly huge rabbit. He cut off its paw and tail, then stabbed it a couple times before he cut off its head. Then Spike disappeared." She stops and squeezes my hand. "I walked over to look at the body. It looked dead, I mean it was in four pieces, wouldn't that mean dead? Then the head moved. It started shaking and growing and the other pieces did the same thing. I backed up and watched as the four pieces turned into four complete killer rabbits. They started walking toward me, and I turned around and walked right through Spike. That was kinda wiggy. He started fighting them, but they were too much. He couldn't keep away from the claws, and he was being cut to ribbons. Suddenly the kids were there and the rabbits went after them. Spike tried to fight them, but they..." She choked back a sob and finished in a whisper with tears running down her face. "..killed him and the kids. Then I woke up."

Willow and Mel come over and kneel in front of our chair and wrap Buffy in a tight hug. Giles pulls out a notepad and clears his throat. "Buffy, I know this is hard for you, but I need you to answer some questions about your dream. Can you do that?"

She nods and wipes her face, but doesn't let go of Mel and Willow. I slip my hand under her shirt and rub slow circles on her back. _*__ You can do this, pet. We're all here. *_

_*__ I know. Thanks, Spike. I love you. *_

_*__ Love you too, kitten. *_

Giles makes a few notes on his pad and asks, "What was Spike wearing the second time he appeared?"

"Spike? Um, he was wearing what he always does when he's fighting. Jeans, t-shirt, boots, and his duster."

"Alright, what about the children, what was William wearing?"

She closes her eyes and thinks for a minute. "I didn't notice what they were wearing, but they looked a little taller than they do now. Will and Lillian's hair was longer, and Liam had a scar on his cheek that he doesn't have now."

"How much longer was William's hair?"

Buffy looks at William for a long time then closes her eyes again. "About three, maybe four inches."

"Well, that establishes a time line of sorts. Being that human hair grows an average of half an inch per month, we have approximately six to eight months before the events in Buffy's dream will happen."

Mel lets go of Buffy and turns to Giles, "Will happen? How do we know it ******will** happen? It was just a dream, right?"

Giles shakes his head. "It was a Slayer dream, Melinda. They're more like portents or visions than actual dreams. They usually foretell events, although sometimes they can be akin to a vision quest. This one smacks of foretelling."

Melinda looks at her children, "Great, so what do we do now?"

Harris, who hasn't said a word the entire night, stands slowly and waits for all of us to look at him. "Let's mount up."

Fred shakes her head, "And do what?"

He smiles, "Kick some evil bunny butt."

"Come again?"

"Well, we know how to get to this weird bunny world, so let's gear up, go in, and kill it. Hit it before it hits us."

Giles looks thoughtful. "That might not be a bad idea. Based on Lillian's description, if we apply magic to the talisman and scythe, it apparently opens a doorway to this other dimension. She said Spike appeared behind William in the, for lack of a better term, bunny world, so it would appear that anyone included in the power circle is transported."

Mel says, "Ok, so we can get there, but how do we get back?"

"Spike stopped the spell by pulling the scythe out of the circle, breaking the bond between the talisman and the scythe, and transporting everyone back here. Someone would stay behind to remove the scythe or talisman, and return us here when the mission is complete."

Fred frowns, "How would that person know the mission is complete? It's doubtful cell phones work across dimensions."

I smile, "I've got somethin' better than a soddin' cell phone."

"What?"

"My pocketknife."


	24. Ch 24 No Arguments

Chapter 24 – No Arguments

(Spike POV)

"You are not going, William, and that's final. You kids are staying here. Willow, Angel, Spike, and I will handle this."

He frowns at her, but doesn't say anything. I put my arm around him and pull him aside. "You need to stay here, Bug. If we do run into more than one of these things, then your Mum, Angel, and I can handle 'em. We can take a hit from 'em, but one swipe from their claws would kill you."

He wraps his arms around my middle and murmurs into my chest. "You'd better come back."

"We will, Bug." He walks over to Buffy, wraps her in a hug and whispers something into her ear, then walks over to the wall and slides down it to sit on the floor. Mel has Angel wrapped up, and Lillian and Liam squeeze them both in a twin hug, then join Bug next to the wall. William wraps his arm around Lillian and pulls her close. She reaches for Liam's hand and twines his fingers with hers.

Angel slings two swords across his back, and clips two daggers to his belt. Buffy straps a sword to her back, loads a thigh sheath with knives and a small dagger, then tucks Mr. Pointy into the waistband of her jeans. I take a sword, fill a sheath on each thigh with knives, and grab a large battle axe.

Willow points to the center of the floor. "Ok, we need to sit in a circle here and put the weapon on the floor. Spike, do you have your talisman?" I hold it up as I slip my right arm out of my duster, then sit down with Buffy on my left, Willow on my right, and Angel across from me.

I hold up my pocketknife and look at Giles, "When we're ready to come back, I'll carve a message in my forearm, so keep an eye out for it, yeah?"

We all hold hands and Willow starts chanting low. The scythe trembles on the floor and begins to rise into the air. It floats above our heads in a slow circle, but I don't feel any power or see blue light. After five minutes of watching it, I growl at Willow, "Any day now, Red."

She chants again and the weapon drifts back to the floor. She frowns at it, "I don't know what's wrong. I'm using the same spell Lillian did. She said the blue light showed up right away, maybe we're missing something."

Giles steps forward and says quietly, "I think it's the children. Lillian must have triggered something when she did the spell, and now it's tied to them."

I stand and shrug my arm back into my duster. "So, Lill rattled its cage, yeah? Well, if they have to go, then let's get 'em sat down and get on with this. They can hang back while we fight. These things aren't fast, so they'll be able to stay away from 'em fairly easily."

The kids all pop up and move excitedly toward the circle. Melinda shakes her head as she darts forward and snags the arms of her twins. "Oh no. My kids are not going anywhere, especially someplace with killer rabbits."

Giles gently takes her arm, "I don't think we have a choice, Melinda. We can do this now, when we're prepared, or wait until it decides to act, which might catch us unaware, and leave them unprotected."

Angel walks over to her and pulls her to him, murmuring into her hair. "I think he's right, Mel. We'll bring Wes, Xander, and Gunn with us to protect the kids, while Willow, Buffy, Spike, and I handle the rabbit or rabbits. You, Giles, and Fred will stay here. Giles will break the link when it's time for us to come back, and you and Fred will be here to tend any wounds we might get during the fight."

She tightens her grip on him and nods slightly, with her lips pressed into a tight line. "I don't like it, but ok. You just make sure they stay out of the way. I'll go to medical and get more supplies. Give me ten minutes."

Xander moves to the weapons chest and opens the lid, "Let's get suited up." He takes a sword and straps it to his back, then slings two crossbows and two quivers of bolts over the top. Gunn straps two swords across his back, three knives to his belt, and attaches a pouch of throwing stars. Wes slings a crossbow and quiver over his shoulder, then clips a dagger to his belt, and finishes off with a two blade battle axe.

I take a handful of small knives and pass them around. "Everyone make sure to leave an arm bare and take a knife. If I can't send the message, one of you will have to. What should the return signal be?"

Fred says, "Something simple and fast to do. Something that won't look like a battle wound. Maybe an X? Or two Xs?"

Giles says, "I think one X would do. It would be highly unlikely to receive an X-shaped wound."

Bug and Liam are edging slowly towards the weapons chest, hoping no one will notice. Lillian is watching them and shaking her head. I step up behind them and say low, "And what, exactly, are you two doin'?"

They jump and turn to face me, wearing guilty looks. Liam stammers, "Um, we were getting a weapon, sir."

I shake my head. "Your weapons are your legs. If one of those things gets close, you run."

Bug frowns. "We can help, Dad. We're old enough, you know. We're not babies."

I growl low in my chest, "I said no, William."

"But Dad, we..."

I snarl and show them my demon. "You don't fight. You run. Am I makin' myself perfectly clear?"

They both stare at me with wide eyes and mumble, "Yes, sir."

"Good, now grab Lill and get set. Mel should be back anytime and we'll be on our way."

Buffy walks over to me and runs her fingers lightly over the bumpies on my forehead. "Why are you all grrr?"

I chuckle around my fangs, "The boys wanted weapons. I told 'em no and there was a bit of an argument. The demon ended it." I lose the fangs and pull her in for a kiss, then feather kisses down her jaw to her neck.

Harris walks past and jabs me in the ribs, "Get a room." then walks up behind Willow, spins her around, and plants one on her. She wraps her arms around his neck and pulls him closer, then threads her fingers into his shaggy hair.

Buffy and I move to the circle, and I elbow him on the way by. "Look who's talking." Mel backs through the doors pulling a cart loaded down with medical supplies. I walk over and hold the doors open for her, then chuckle, "Bloody hell, Melinda, think you brought enough?"

She pushes the cart into the corner and shakes her head. "No, but this is all that would fit on the cart. I remember what you looked like last time, Spike. I'm not taking any chances."

She walks over to the twins and gathers them into her arms, squeezing tight. "I love you. You make sure to stay back and don't get in the way. I mean it, you two." She looks directly at Liam, "I'm not even close to kidding."

He nods and squeezes her tight, "I promise, Mum."

She turns to Angel and wraps her arms around him. "You be careful or I'll kick your undead ass. Got it?"

He laughs, "Yes, dear."

She squeezes him tighter and whispers, "I love you, Angel." then backs up and leans on the medical cart.

Willow and Lillian sit across from each other, and the rest of us take our places in the circle. "Lillian, I want you to say the spell with me. Everyone have a bare arm?" We all check our arms and nod. "Ok, everyone hold hands. One bunny world coming right up."

She starts chanting and Lillian joins her. As soon as Lillian starts to speak, a faint blue light surrounds the weapon and it starts to rise off the floor. The light expands until we're surrounded in a bubble of pulsating sapphire light. The weapon stops its ascent and starts to float in a slow circle above our heads. Willow and Lillian stop chanting and open their eyes as my talisman twitches and a beam of light shoots out of it toward the scythe. When it connects, there's a bright flash, and suddenly we're sitting in a patch of tall grass.


	25. Ch 25 Prophecies for Dummies

Chapter 25 - Prophecies for Dummies

(Melinda POV)

Well, the medical supplies are as organized as I can get them. Guess there's nothing to do now but wait. Hope I brought enough. Also hope I don't have to use any of it. Dammit, I wish there was someplace to stand where I could see all their arms at once. Gonna get dizzy walking around the circle. I said I'd watch for the return mark, after Giles told me what to look for, because I can't just sit there with a huge book on my lap and act like nothing's going on.

Stupid prophecies. If it isn't a curse, it's a prophecy. I know Angel and Spike are special because they've got souls, and Buffy is THE Slayer, and they've all saved the world, a lot, but why can't the idiot Powers just let them be? I mean, haven't they done enough? But nooo. It's one prophecy or apocalypse after another. Must be that ___with great power comes great responsibility_ crap. Blah…. blah…. blah. Who knew the Powers That Be were Spiderman fanboys?

But now they've got my kids wrapped up in this nonsense. Child sired of a demon, my ass. Who makes this crap up? Lots of demons have kids, why are mine the ones going to some weird dimension to hunt rabbits? Who are they, Elmer Fudd? Anything happens to my kids or Angel and I'll hunt down the damn Powers. Don't know what I'll do when I find them, but it damn sure won't be pleasant.

What is Fred doing with that sword? She's gonna hurt herself with that thing. Good, she put it down. She's a smart cookie, but not so much with the coordination. Wow, Liam needs a haircut. Didn't really notice how long it's getting. He usually keeps it pretty mashed down because his hair grows straight up, just like his dad's. Wonder if that's a vampire thing or if it did that when he was human? Angelus had long hair in all the pictures I've ever seen of him. Hmm, have to ask him when he gets back. It's funny how vampires grow hair even though they're dead.

Will really needs a haircut. I know he's trying to grow the curls out of it, but it's always in his eyes. That would drive me absolutely bugshit. At least cut the top, he could leave the back longish... no wait, that would be a mullet. Billy Ray Cyrus, anyone? Um… no.

I think Lillian really likes Will. I catch her staring at him sometimes, it's so cute. And the way he takes her arm or puts his arm around her shoulders, I think he likes her back. Cute. Yeah, but cute grows up. Wonder if Spike's had ___the talk_ with him yet. Might have to mention it to him. I'll have to sit Lillian down when this is over and Angel needs to talk to Liam. So not ready to be a Grandma anytime soon.

God, it's kinda creepy with all of them just sitting there with their eyes open and not moving. Never really noticed how green Willow's eyes are. Buffy tells me they get silver when she's deep into her magic and her hair turns white. Wonder if Lillian will do that when she gets more powerful? Hmmm, Spike and Will have the exact same shade of blue eyes, Angel and Liam have the same deep brown, but Lillian's are a little lighter, like mine. Buffy's are kinda green, kinda hazelish, might be the light, I can't really tell. Gunn, Wes and Xander all have brown eyes. Giles… green. Fred, c'mon look up just a little, ok brown. So, brown eyes win. Eight brown, two blue, two green and one hazel-green.

Ok, how bored am I? Tallying up eye color. How long has it been? Wow, forty five minutes. Great. This is going to be a long night, well longer night. Nothing like getting drug out of bed to find out your kids are part of some sodding prophecy. Wheee! Party all the time. Not.

Wait, did I just say sodding? Spike must be wearing off on me. Next thing you know I'll be calling Angel 'Peaches'. Wonder why Spike calls him that? I mean, Captain Forehead I kinda get. Another thing to ask him, I guess.

I wish he'd tell me more about his past. I think he's scared that I'd leave him if I found out. I know he killed a lot of people and did a lot of horrible things as Angelus. I've read about some of it, and Buffy and Spike have told me a little, but that's not him anymore. There isn't anything I could find out about his past that would make me leave him. Might kick his sexy little behind, but I would never leave him. Love him too damn much and God, he's yummy. Glad he finally got us the industrial strength headboard. Don't know how many we've had to replace. Hopefully he won't break this one. Vampires are kind of hard on the furniture, especially when they're handcuffed to it. Damn, wish I could touch him, but I don't want to get sucked into the portal or whatever.

Wonder what Giles is scribbling down now? Probably more prophecy crap. Be a ton easier if the Powers just handed out Prophecies for Dummies. Save all the research and obscure translations and just tell us exactly what needs to be done. You - Go here - Kill this - Save world. Boom. Done.

I just don't get all this mystical stuff. Probably should since I'm mated to a vampire, and have children by him using a magical talisman, and one of said children is a witch, and my very first patient was a vampire that was injured in another dimension by a mystical demon from an ancient prophecy. Ok, maybe I do get it.

Never thought when I graduated nursing school that I'd be treating vampires and demons. I've learned more working here as a nurse than I would have if I ******had** gone to medical school. I actually DO more here as a nurse than anybody that has ******graduated** medical school. I've performed surgery on a huge number of demon species, and I know the physiology of so many different kinds of creatures I could write a doctorate thesis, that is if any accredited school would give me a degree for that. Not bloody likely. God, I'm channeling Spike again.

No marks on anyone's arms yet. How long are we going to wait? No injuries yet, either. Good. Guess they haven't found the rabbits yet or if they have, they are royally kicking their asses. Wait, what's that on Spike's arm? Better grab a gauze pad from the cart.

"Giles, it's the mark." I point to Spike's arm where a fresh X is seeping blood. "Let's get them back."

Giles stands and grabs a long pole then walks to the circle. "You and Fred stand back." We move to a safe position behind him, and he pokes the pole into the light bubble and gently pushes the weapon out of the circle. When it touches the edge of the bubble, the light explodes and the scythe flies across the room and embeds itself deep into the wall. Everyone blinks and starts rubbing their eyes. I kneel down and press the gauze pad to Spike's arm.

"So, how'd it go?"


	26. Ch 26 Get Up Now

Chapter 26 – Get Up Now

(Spike POV)

Angel and I both jump to our feet and scan around us listening and smelling. I point my chin off to our left, "I smell…"

He nods. "Blood. A lot of it."

"Let's go."

We're about to start off through the grass when Buffy snags my arm. "Shouldn't we leave the kids here?"

I shake my head, "No, luv, blood's not fresh."

"And that matters because…"

"Whatever it came out of is either dead or gone."

Willow says, "We should probably stick kinda close together, anyway. If someone marks their arm, we all leave, so we better be sure we're done first."

Buffy nods. "Good point, Wils." I take her hand and pull her up next to me then start through the grass. We come upon a large patch of trampled grass with several spots of dried blood. One spot of blood is larger than the rest and shows the imprint of a man pressed into the dirt.

I squat down and inhale deeply then stand up shaking my head. "My blood. But it's only a day or so old at most. That happened thirteen years ago."

Bug steps up next to me, "What happened, Dad?"

"First time I met the rabbit. Right after we found out your Mum was pregnant with you. It kicked my arse." I point to the impression of me in the ground. "That's where it stomped me into the dirt."

Angel moves some distance away and starts sniffing the air again. "I'm picking up more blood over there."

We jog after him, looking for all the world like an invading army, and eventually come to another section of trampled grass with a large blood spot. This one is just starting to dry. There's a thin ring of blood around the large spot in the center. Angel looks at me and says, "Let me guess. Second time you met the rabbit?"

I nod, "Yeah. This is where I first attacked it and sliced off its paw. See the long splash of blood? There's where I cut off the tail, and this big one is where I chopped off the head. Here's the hole in the ground from the axe."

Liam points to the ground. "And the ring of blood? What's that from?"

I smirk over at him, "Me. It sliced up my leg."

Buffy looks around and says, "So where's the body? The pieces were here in my dream. Where are they now?"

I shrug, "Don't know, pet. There's a sinkhole near here that leads into a cave. We could check there." I go very still and listen for the water I heard last time, then head toward the sound, even though I don't think the soddin' rabbit is there, either.

We stop at the edge of the hole and I smile up at Angel, "Peaches, you ready?" He nods and vamps. "We'll be right back." I fang out and we drop silently into the hole then scan the darkness as we move away from the opening. Dead rat. More of my blood. An empty crack in the wall. Empty cave. I mutter into the darkness, "Bloody hell."

"This where you found it last time?"

"Yeah, it was stuffed in that crack there. Hit me with its tail when I had my back turned."

We walk back to the opening and launch ourselves out of the sinkhole, landing in front of two sets of huge staring eyes. I chuckle, "What?"

Will sputters, "That was like a thirty foot jump!" Liam is just staring at his Dad with his mouth hanging open.

I smirk at Angel then turn back to my son. "Vampires, Bug. Super-human strength and all that rot. Couldn't have cleared it when I was a fledge, but we get stronger as we get older."

Lillian steps up and waves her hands in front of their stunned faces. They don't even blink as she says, "You'd know that if you two ever read any of the books Giles gives you." She snaps her fingers in front of their dazed eyes then walks away muttering to herself, "Stupid boys."

Buffy pulls Mr. Pointy from her belt and starts twirling the stake in her hand, "So now what? I mean the thing is obviously not here. Do we wait? Should we walk around and see if we can find it?"

Willow looks around then walks over to the sinkhole and peeks in. "Maybe we're still missing something. We needed the kids to get here; maybe we need something else to get the bunny here." She turns her back on the sinkhole, "Buffy, do you remember anything else about your dream?"

Buffy shakes her head. "Nope, all I saw was Spike, the kids, the bunnies and grass." She spins in a slow circle. "Lots and lots of grass."

Willow closes her eyes and gets a thoughtful look on her face then opens them and stares at Buffy. "Do you remember when you went all catatonic after Glory took Dawn?"

Buffy nods warily, "Yeah."

"I went into your mind to try to find you and bring you out. Maybe I could do that again, only this time I could watch your dream and try to see if there's anything else. Something you don't remember."

Buffy's eyes get wide, "What, here? Now?"

Willow chuckles, "No, let's go back. It's been a long night and we need some rest before I do something that powerful and delicate."

I nod. "Right then. Homeward bound." I pull out my pocketknife and quickly slash an X into my skin.

I wake up in the training room with Mel pressing a bandage to my arm. "So, how'd it go?"

XXXXX  
XXXXX

(Willow POV)

"Ok, Buffy, you sit here and I'll sit in front of you." I look over at the rest of the group. "You three hang back and please try to be quiet." Buffy and I sit in the middle of the training room floor while the rest of the group takes positions along the walls. The kids are with Angel and Mel. All the kids, mine included, so it's just us. The core Scoobies. Just like the good old days.

I look into Buffy's scared eyes, "Now, concentrate on your dream. Try to bring the pictures up in your mind. That's all I want to look at. Please. I really don't need to see Spike smoochies or anything."

Buffy and Spike both burst out laughing while Giles and Xander look uncomfortable. Buffy nods at me, "Ok, Wils, I'll try not to think of Spike smoochies. Might be kinda hard, you know, since he is so smoochable. Everywhere."

Xander squeaks, "TMI, Buffy, TMI!" He casts a sideways glance at Spike, who's leering at Buffy and curling his tongue behind his teeth. "Knock it off, Fang Boy." Spike gives him the two finger salute.

"Good Lord." Giles takes off his glasses and starts polishing. "Could we try to focus, children?"

I nod, "Right. Spike, be good." He straightens up and puts on his _who me?_ face. I smile at him then turn back to Buffy.

"Ok Buff, here we go. Close your eyes and think about the dream." Buffy closes her eyes and lets her head drop down. "You ready?" She nods.

I close my eyes and concentrate on Buffy, trying to feel her mind. It's easier to get in than last time, maybe because she's aware of it, or maybe because I'm more powerful. I pass through a filmy barrier and then I'm standing next to her in the grass. "Hi, Buffy."

She turns to look at me with a mild look of surprise, "Oh, hi Willow, what are you doing here?"

"Just watching."

"Oh, ok." She turns and stares out at the never ending landscape of grass. Spike sprints past us holding the scythe. Buffy shouts, "Spike! Hey, Spike!" He doesn't stop or even act like he's heard her, so she starts running after him. I float along behind her never getting more than a few feet away, my feet skimming through the grass without disturbing it.

Spike jumps into the air with a roar and crashes into this monstrous rabbit. Goddess! It's huge! When he rolls to his feet, the rabbit is missing a paw and spurting blood all over the grass. Spike attacks over and over, each time doing more damage. He has a maniacal look of joy on his demon face as he stabs and slices. He suddenly backs away from the rabbit and lights a cigarette then talks to the rabbit while he circles it. He flicks the cigarette away and it lands in front of me. I can smell the tang of the smoke as the butt smolders in a small clump of grass.

Spike chops off the rabbit's head then raises the weapon and shouts at the sky. A light flashes and he's thrown back into the grass then disappears.

Buffy looks at me but doesn't say anything then turns and starts walking toward the rabbit. We both watch as the four pieces of rabbit grow and change into four complete rabbits. They start lumbering toward us and Buffy turns and passes right through another Spike, then stops and turns around as he attacks the rabbits.

He doesn't have the scythe this time, just a sword. He's doing damage, but not nearly enough. Buffy is yelling to him and crying because the rabbit's claws have sliced his back, arms and both legs. He's bleeding a lot and his duster is in shreds. Even though I know this is only a dream, and the real Spike is fine and sitting less than ten feet from me, I can't stop the tears that track slowly down my cheeks. A hard blow knocks dream Spike to the ground and he rolls and slowly gets back to his feet. As he stands, the twins and William appear behind him.

They're all a little taller and William's hair is a lot longer. It doesn't hang in his eyes anymore; now he's got it parted in the middle so it hangs down the sides of his face. Liam has a jagged scar on his right cheek. Lillian is standing between them with her arms hooked through theirs. She's chanting with her eyes closed and a bubble of blue energy surrounds the trio. She opens her eyes and stops chanting and the bubble disappears.

Spike attacks the lead rabbit, but the other three circle around and go after the kids. Buffy is screaming at them but they can't hear her. Liam goes down first, huge claws cutting him nearly in two as he stands in front of Lillian trying to protect her. Lillian tries to go to him, but a tail knocks her to the ground and a foot presses her into it with a horrendous squishing noise. I hear a loud wail and realize it's coming from me.

William is dodging blows, trying to get to Spike, when he's stopped by claws sinking deeply into his back. The rabbit attached to the claws lifts William high into the air and roars. William shrieks and Spike turns to face him and is impaled on another set of claws. He hangs there, struggling to free himself, when another rabbit walks up behind him and neatly slices off his head. Spike explodes into a cloud of dust as the rabbit holding William drops his body with a sickening thump. Buffy screams and falls to the ground, sobbing as the rabbits start moving away.

I wipe the flood of tears from my eyes, trying to see what they're going after. I see another figure standing in the grass about forty feet away and I try to get closer to see who it is, but I'm tied to Buffy. I turn back to her and shout. "Buffy. BUFFY!"

She looks up at me with tears dripping off her face. "You have to get up. There's somebody standing over there. I have to see who it is. Get up. GET UP NOW!"

She stands and stumbles in the direction I'm pointing and I float along behind her. The rabbits are slower and we get to the person before they do. He's standing with his back to us, the slight breeze twitching his light brown hair. He turns and his blue eyes lock with mine. "Who are you?"

He opens his mouth to speak and I feel my body jerk, then I'm back in the training room looking at Buffy sitting across from me, sobbing.


	27. Ch 27 Splainin To Do

Chapter 27 - Splainin To Do

(Spike POV)

We've moved back to our flat and are sitting silently in the living room. Buffy's finally calmed down and is lying across my lap with her head on the arm of the chair. I've got one arm wrapped over her with our fingers twined together, and Bug is sitting on the floor in front of us, leaning back against the chair. Buffy's other hand rests on his shoulder and every few minutes moves to run her fingers lightly through his hair.

Liam and Lillian are sandwiched between Angel and Mel on the couch. Willow and Xander are on the other couch each holding a sleeping child while the third snoozes on the couch between them. Giles is sunk down in the other comfy chair staring at his knees.

"So, who do you think he is?" Willow asks, her eyes still red and puffy from crying.

Giles shifts in his chair and looks at Willow, "Could you describe this person in a little more detail?"

She closes her eyes in concentration then starts speaking, "Young, late teens maybe. Little taller than me. Kinda skinny with longish light brown hair and blue eyes. That's pretty much all I had time to see."

"Is there a way you could take someone else with you into the dream? Maybe stay a little longer at the end to talk to this person?"

Buffy tenses and shakes her head. "Uh-uh. I'm not going through that again. Twice was two times too many. I'm not going to watch the people I love die… again. We'll just have to figure out who he is some other way."

Giles takes off his glasses and drags out the polishing cloth. "Buffy, this person is obviously important in some way. We need to know who he is."

I growl low in my chest. "No, Rupert. She's not gonna see that again."

"Spike, I understand your concern, but finding out his identity is of the utmost importance."

I snarl and my eyes flash amber as Buffy trembles in my lap. "My concern is Buffy. She's not doin' that again. She. Will. Not."

Willow stands suddenly and hands the baby she's holding to Angel. "I'll be right back." she calls over her shoulder as she rushes out of the flat.

Angel looks down at Sophie and smiles as she sticks her thumb in her mouth and snuggles into him.

Giles clears his throat and says, "Spike, Buffy is strong..."

I hold up the hand not tangled with Buffy's. "Save it, Watcher. Not gonna happen."

Willow rushes back in with a large leather-bound book cradled in her arms, then drops down on the couch and starts furiously turning pages. She stops and runs her finger quickly down the text on the page, then smiles and taps something about halfway down.

She lays the book on the floor in front of the fireplace and rushes out of the flat again. Giles gets up and peers down at the page then sits back down. "It's Latin. Some kind of reveal spell, I believe."

Willow comes back in and kneels on the hearth in front of the book holding a dried sprig of flowers. "I can reveal who I saw in the dream with this." She waves the flowers. "Hopefully one of us will recognize him or we could maybe take a picture and show it around or something."

She reads the spell silently; mouthing the words to herself, then closes her eyes and waves her hand above the flowers. "Incohare incendia." The flowers burst into flame and she lets them burn for a bit then blows out the fire. Thick white smoke wafts up and forms a large oval above her head. She opens her eyes as she tilts her head back to stare at the smoke then murmurs, "Ostendo sum statua ex meus mens."

Ribbons of color flow from her eyes and swirl around in the smoke. She blows the smoke away to reveal what looks like a slightly rippling pool of water. In it we see a young bloke standing with his back to us in a grassy field. He slowly turns around and Angel gasps and whispers, "Connor."

Mel looks at Angel, then back at the image, then back at Angel, her eyes narrowing. "Who's Connor?"

Angel swallows hard and looks at Mel. "He's my son."

Mel's face turns stormy as she gets up from the couch slowly and steps in front of Angel. She leans down and takes Sophie from his arms then steps over and hands her to Giles. She walks to the door and opens it, then turns and glares at Connor's image. "Angel. Here. Now." She turns and walks stiffly through the door and down the hallway. Angel stares after her, but doesn't move until she shouts from the other end of the hall. "Move your ass, vampire!"

As Angel closes the door behind him, Lillian whispers to Liam, "Mum doesn't have any stakes on her, does she?"

Liam shrugs. "For Da's sake, I hope not."

Willow sits down between the twins and puts her arms around them. "It'll be fine. They're just going to have a discussion."

Liam snorts, "A discussion. Right. Don't think so. Mum's pretty mad."

Lillian reaches over and pinches his arm, "Not that kind of _discussion_, you perv."

Giles looks like he desperately wants to polish his glasses, but his arms are full of sleeping baby.

Buffy sits up and stares at the image. "His son? When did he have a son? Who's the mother?" She turns and looks at me. "You know, don't you?"

I clear my throat and say quietly, "Darla... Darla is Connor's mum."

Giles, Xander, Willow, and Buffy all shout at the same time, "WHAT!"

I sigh and close my eyes. When I open them, Buffy reaches up and caresses my cheek. "Can you tell us?"

I nod and shrug. "Guess there's no point in keepin' it secret now." I swallow and take a deep breath. "A couple of years after Angel staked Darla in Sunnydale, Wolfram and Hart brought Darla back as a human."

Giles asks, "Wolfram and Hart? Angel allowed this?"

"No. It was the evil version, before Angel took over. They were tryin' to find a way to rid Angel of his soul. He'd become a do-gooder thorn in their arses, and they thought Darla could somehow manage a soul removal, but she was dyin' of syphilis."

Xander holds up his hands, "Ok… and whoa. Darla was human and dying of syphilis? I'm guessing it wasn't the funny Chumash syphilis like I had. What happened to antibiotics?"

I shake my head, "She was near death from it when The Master turned her in the 1600's. When they brought her back in human form, she still had it. Was too far along to be curable."

Xander frowns, "Ok. Um… should the kids be here for your creepy vampire tales?"

I look at the twins then at William. His eyes plead with me to let him stay. I nod. "I think they're old enough. Besides, this all concerns them, so yeah, they should be here."

Willow squeezes the twins and asks, "Do you two want to stay?" They nod mutely.

"On then. Angel went through the Trials to save her life, but since she'd already been resurrected once, she couldn't be given life again, so they brought Dru in to sire her. Darla and Angel shagged, and since Angel was owed a life for going through the Trials, he knocked her up."

Xander's eyes get wide, "Drusilla sired Darla? Isn't that kind of like vampire incest or something?"

I chuckle, "S'pose you could say that."

Xander frowns, "So she was a vampire again when she got pregnant? She couldn't have been happy about that. Why didn't she just end the pregnancy?"

"Couldn't. Some kind of mystical mojo or whatnot. She traveled the world tryin', but nobody could harm the tyke, and she eventually came back to Angel. She was sharin' Connor's soul while she was pregnant and started lovin' him. She was afraid she'd kill him after he was born, so she dusted herself to save him."

Giles looks shocked. "Darla sacrificed herself to save another? Incredible."

"Didn't save him for long. He was nicked by a vampire hunter and taken to a hell dimension."

Buffy turns to me, "Vampire hunter? What vampire hunter? Another slayer?"

"No, pet. It was a bloke from way back, before my time. He'd hunted 'Gelus and Darla for years 'cause they killed his family, and some demon mojoed him into this time to get his revenge. He could've just staked Angel, but he took Connor 'cause it'd hurt Angel more. Take Angel's family like Angelus took his. He raised Connor in a hell dimension and did everything he could to make him hate Angel."

Buffy says, "Why didn't Angel ever say anything? Where's Connor now?"

"Here in LA. He's married and has a child."

Buffy looks at me in disbelief. "He's married. You just told us he was born like… what… fourteen years ago! How is he married?"

"Time was different in the hell dimension, kitten. He was taken from here as a babe and came back a few days later as a pissed off teenager." I nod my head toward the image still floating above the fireplace. "That's him from about the time he came back."

Willow says, "He hates Angel?"

"Well, he did right when he got back, tried to kill him several times. Even sealed him in a box and dropped him to the bottom of the ocean for a few months."

Buffy shouts, "He did what?"

I wrap my arm tight around her, "Long story, luv, and I don't know all the particulars; you should get Peaches to tell it to you sometime. Eventually Connor sussed out the hunter had lied to him 'bout Angel, and he and Angel started gettin' on together, but Connor was a right twisted little bloke due to his upbringin'. There was a Big Bad type situation here in LA and Connor helped take it down, then tried to kill himself and Cordelia."

Willow's eyes get big, "Oh my God! What did Angel do?"

"Took over Wolfram and Hart."

Again I get, "WHAT!"

"He made a deal with the Powers. He'd take over this firm and Connor would get a normal life. They landed him with a regular family and reworked everyone's memories to fit. Connor doesn't remember a childhood in hell, and nobody remembers Connor is Angel's son except Angel. Kinda like how those monks inserted Niblet into all our memories."

Giles says, "And you know all of this, how?"

"Angel told me not too long after Bug was born. Connor's still the child of two vampires, even if he doesn't remember that. Be right valuable information to have if you were lookin' to put a hurt on Angel or start an apocalypse. Angel still checks in on Connor and makes sure nobody finds out who he really is. I'm the backup plan if somethin' happens to Angel."

Buffy says, "Which could be today. Did you see how pissed Mel was?"

Xander says, "Yeah, looks like he has lots of splainin to do."


	28. Ch 28 Nice to Meet You

Chapter 28 – Nice to Meet You

(Spike POV)

I hear Angel and Mel walking down the hallway and nod toward the door. "They're back." There's a slight knock then Angel and Mel walk in silently and sit down on the couch. Mel's eyes are red and puffy, and Angel is sporting several fresh scratches on his cheek.

"Everythin' sorted?"

Angel nods and glances at Mel. "I told her about Connor... and Darla." He takes Mel's hand in his and squeezes it as she leans into him and lays her head on his shoulder.

"He's going to tell me the rest of his history after we deal with the current crisis. Everything, so there won't be any more surprises down the road." She lifts his arm and snuggles underneath it, laying her arm over his chest.

Angle squeezes Mel close to him and closes his eyes. "Guess I should fill you all in. Connor is my son. Darla..."

"Done, mate. I ran it down for 'em while you were... busy. Think I hit most of the important bits, although I didn't cover how you ended up in a box at the bottom of the ocean."

Mel tenses and sits up to look at Angel. "Bottom of the ocean. In a box. For how long?"

"Um… three months." Mel blanches a little and Angel hugs her back to him. "It's a long story and it doesn't really apply to the current situation. I'll tell you about it, I promise, but right now we need to figure out what Connor has to do with this."

Giles stands and hands Sophie back to Willow then sits down and opens a large book. "When we dealt with this thirteen years ago, William was the only child of a vampire that we _knew_ of." He looks pointedly at Angel. "The Great Evil found him when it enveloped Buffy and Spike at the hotel. Spike was wearing the talisman which marked him as the foe. The Great Evil transported Spike to its dimension hoping to defeat him and clear the path to William. When Spike won the battle we thought the evil was gone, but apparently it wasn't."

He looks at Lillian. "When you applied your magic to the scythe and the talisman, I think it somehow alerted the Great Evil to your existence. Because you were linked with William, whom the Great Evil already knew of, I believe it tied you and your brother to the prophecy as well."

Angel frowns, "That still doesn't explain Connor. He wasn't there when Lill did the spell."

Giles pulls his glasses off and drags out the polishing cloth. "No, but when the twins were linked, I believe it alerted the evil to the existence of your progeny. **All** of your progeny. Wesley said that the prophecy isn't clear if they all need die or just one, but the four rabbits in Buffy's dream would suggest that it intends to kill them all."

Willow says, "So, we need Connor. We can get to bunny world without him, but the bunnies won't show unless he's there."

Giles nods, "Quite right."

Angel shakes his head, "That might be difficult. He has no idea about any of this, vampires and prophecies and magic. He has a wife and a daughter and works in a bank. As far as he knows, he's a normal guy living a normal life."

Buffy looks up at Connor's picture still floating above the fireplace. "So how do we get him here? Invite him to lunch?"

I snort, "Yeah, then I could just mention in passing, _Oi, you're really the child of a centuries old vampire, and you're a player in an apocalyptic prophecy, please pass the spuds."_

Buffy laughs, "Then wait out the wiggins."

Xander is staring at Connor's picture with a thoughtful look on his face. "Maybe we wouldn't have to tell him anything. Who says he has to be conscious? Couldn't we just… I don't know… kinda kidnap him and take him with us? There's enough of us to kill four demon rabbits. We could just set him off to the side somewhere with the kids and take him home when we're done."

I bark laughter. "Not a bad plan, Harris. Lord knows you've spent many a fight off to the side somewhere… unconscious."

"Oh, hardee har har, Fang Face."

I open my mouth to speak when the phone rings. I lean over and punch the speaker button. "'Ello?"

"Hello. This is Susan at the front desk. I'm looking for Mr. Angel."

"This is Angel. What can I do for you, Susan?"

"Sir, there's a gentleman here who insists upon seeing you. I've tried to explain the lateness of the hour, but he is adamant."

"Who is he?"

"He wouldn't give me his name, sir, but he did show me a business card that says Angel Investigations."

Angel's eyes get wide. "Is he human?"

"He doesn't register on any of the demon scanners, although..."

"Although what?"

"The vampire scanner did flicker momentarily when he entered the building, but now it only registers you and Mr. Spike."

"Please show him into my office. I'll be there in a few minutes. Thank you, Susan."

"Yes, sir."

I punch the speaker button again and look at Angel. "Any guesses?"

He shakes his head, "No. Just questions. Where did he get one of my old business cards? And how did he find me here?"

"You want some backup?"

"Yeah. Couldn't hurt, I suppose. Let's go."

Buffy stands and pulls me to my feet then looks at the image of Connor. She turns to Willow. "Is that gonna be there forever? It's kinda starting to creep me out with all the… looking at us."

Willow chuckles, "No. It should fade in a little while." She gets up and lays Sophie down in the playpen next to the couch then tilts her head as she looks at Connor's image. "The eyes follow you. That's weird."

XXXXX  
XXXXX

(Spike POV)

We step into Angel's office and an older version of the boy we saw hanging above my fireplace steps quickly across the room and wraps Angel in a rib-cracking bear hug. "Dad! God, I found you!"

Angel hugs him back briefly then disentangles himself and backs up. "How do you know me?"

He looks up at Angel in confusion. "I'm Connor. Your son? Don't you remember me?"

Angel nods and backs up a step. "Yes, I know you, but how do you know me?"

I step between them and point to the couch. "Maybe we should have sit down, yeah? Get this sorted?"

Angel drops down into a chair as Connor and I sit on opposite ends of the couch. "Ok." I say as we sit down. "You're Connor, Angel's son."

He looks over at me warily, "Yes. Who are you?"

"Spike. Angel's my Grandsire."

"You're a vampire too?"

"Yeah. Now, how do you know who Angel is? From what I understand, you weren't supposed to remember any of this."

He frowns and rubs his forehead. "Well, I didn't until last night."

Angel leans forward in his chair, "What happened last night?"

"I had a very strange dream and when I woke up I remembered who I was."

Angel raises his eyebrows and glances at me then looks back at Connor. "What was your dream about?"

He looks between Angel and me as he speaks, "I was standing in a grassy field and there were three kids sitting on the ground a little ways off, two boys and a girl. A man in a leather coat appeared and touched the smaller boy on the head and something exploded. That's when I woke up."

"And you remember everything?"

"Yeah. It's weird. I remember you and Holtz and... Cordelia, but I also remember the Reilly's and my life with them."

*_ Pet, you might want to come down here. It's Connor and he remembers everythin'. Bring Mel and the kids. *_

*_ 'Kay, Spike. Be there in a few minutes. *_

"How did you find me?"

Connor reaches into his pocket and pulls out a mangled business card then hands it to Angel. "As soon as I woke up, I went to the Hyperion, but it was boarded up. I spent the day looking for some clue to where you'd gone. Most of the rooms have girl stuff in them and the lobby looks like a bomb went off in it. I finally found a card from Wolfram and Hart with your name on it attached to a box in the kitchen, so I came here." He stands and starts pacing in front of the couch. "What happened to me? Why did I forget?"

Angel stands and gently places his hand on Connor's shoulder. "I made a deal with the Powers. You were in so much pain and I wanted you to have a normal life. One without hell dimensions and demons and an apocalypse every other week. They arranged new memories and a normal family for you and I took over this firm."

Connor shrugs off Angel's hand and backs away. "You're in charge of Wolfram and Hart? I thought you were all for helping the helpless. This place is evil."

Angel shakes his head, "Not anymore." He steps forward with his hand out but Connor scowls at him and walks away. He walks behind Angel's desk and stands looking at the weapons display hanging on the wall for a long time.

When he turns around, there are tears slowly tracking down his face. "So you just let me go? Gave me up to complete strangers and walked away?"

Angel's shoulders slump and he sighs, "I had to, Connor. You were hurting so much and I didn't know of any other way to help you but to make you forget everything. But I didn't walk away. I've kept up with your life and made sure you were doing alright."

Connor walks around the desk, swiping at his face with furious strokes, and shouts at Angel. "Kept up? How have you kept up? I haven't laid eyes on you in over a decade!"

Angel sits back down and leans his head on the back of the chair then closes his eyes. "I've seen you. I was at your wedding, and I paid for your college, and I've seen your little girl. I keep to the shadows, but I've been there as much as I could."

Connor's jaw drops as he looks at Angel. "You paid for my college? I thought it was a scholarship."

"I set it up with the college to look like a scholarship."

"And you've seen Amelia?"

"Yes. She's a beautiful little girl. Looks a lot like her mother."

I stand up and move toward the door. "Buffy and Mel are on their way. Should be here right about now." I open the door and Buffy walks in, followed by Mel and the kids.

Buffy walks up to Connor with her hand out. "Connor, I'm Buffy. Nice to meet you."

He shakes her hand then stammers, "How do you know who I am?"

She smiles as she backs up and wraps her arm around my waist. "Spike told me."

Connor looks at me then points at the couch. "How? He never left the room. He's been sitting right there the whole time I've been here!"

Angel laughs, "It's complicated." He wraps his arm around Mel and pulls her close, "This is Melinda, my mate, and these are our kids, Liam and Lillian."

"Mate? Kids?" He looks at Liam closely and gasps, "He's the boy from my dream! He's your son?"

Angel nods. "Yes. Lillian is the girl you saw, and William over there is the other boy. He's Spike and Buffy's son. Spike is the man from your dream. You had the dream because of a prophecy. You, the twins, William, Spike and Buffy are all part of it."

Connor drops onto the couch shaking his head. "None of this makes any sense."

Lillian sits down next to him and gently takes his hand as she smiles at him. "Not much in our lives usually does, but we manage. Nice to meet you, brother."


	29. Ch 29 Conference Room

Chapter 29 – Conference Room

(Spike POV)

Buffy takes my hand as we walk down the hall, away from Angel's office. "Do you think he's gonna be ok?"

"Connor? Yeah, I think so. He had a rough bit before you came in, but he just needs a little time to adjust, I expect. He's spent the last fifteen years or so thinkin' he's Joe Normal, and last night his whole world went arse over tit. Plus, it's not every day you find out you're part of a possible world endin' prophecy."

Buffy laughs, "Yeah, with us it's like, _world ending prophecy… hmm… must be Friday."_

I snort, "Yeah, this stuff's gettin' to be old hat. How many does this make?"

Buffy smirks, "I know, right? Apocalypses, apocalyptii. I mean, what's the plural for apocalypse, and how messed up is it that we need to know that?"

I laugh. "Hopefully this one won't be too difficult. We'll let Angel explain everythin' to Connor, then we'll pop into bunny world, kill us some evil, and be out in time for supper."

She stops and turns to face me. "Well, with Angel and Connor talking until the wee hours, and Bug crashing with the twins at Mel's, I've got you all to myself for a while." She smirks up at me. "What should I do with you?"

I lean down and breathe in her ear as I nibble on the lobe, "What do you want to do with me?"

She answers by pushing me up against the nearest door in the hallway and placing my hands firmly on the door frame. "Don't move these." She slides her hands under my shirt, then stretches up to take my lip in her teeth, suckling it gently. She nibbles over to my ear and down my neck while her warm little fingers pinch and tease my nipples. She pushes my shirt up and her mouth joins her fingers licking and nipping at my chest.

I moan as I slide one hand up her leg, lifting her skirt. She slaps it and places it back on the door frame. "No touchy." I growl deep in my chest and lean my head back on the door as she suckles my nipples and rubs me through my jeans.

A door opens down the hall and we hear voices walking toward us. She opens the door I'm leaning on and pushes me through, then closes it and pushes me back up against the door. She pulls my shirt over my head and starts nibbling on my collarbone as she trails her fingers down my arms and plants my hands on the door frame again. She licks around my nipple, then takes it in her teeth and bites gently, while her fingers play over my stomach muscles, making them quiver. My hands ache to touch her, but every time I lift one off the door frame she slaps it and puts it back. I groan as she licks small circles over my chest and down my stomach, nipping lightly at the skin just above my jeans.

She drops to her knees as her mouth moves to the top button, slowly popping it open while she teases me through the jeans with her nails. She pops two more buttons and I gasp loudly as she licks the head and nibbles lightly on my foreskin. She pops one more button and slides my jeans over my hips, then drops her head and licks slowly up the inside of my thigh. I grip the door frame almost hard enough to dent it as she licks over my balls and up my shaft, then wraps her lips around the head and draws me in deep for a few long, slow strokes. I groan "So hot, Slayer." as she scrapes her teeth lightly along my shaft, then twirls her tongue around the head and sucks me back in.

I whimper a little when she stands and places her hand on my chest. "Stay." She backs up and leans on the table in the middle of the room as she slowly unbuttons her shirt and slides it off, then brings her hands up to caress her breasts, pinching the nipples with her fingers. She brings a finger to her mouth and sucks it in, laving it with her tongue, then trails it down her neck and chest and twirls it around one nipple. I push myself off the door and she holds up her other hand and wags her finger. "No. You stay there." I thump back against the door, growling as she pinches and rolls her nipples.

She stands and turns around, then slowly slides her skirt up her legs and over her hips. My cock jumps when I notice she's not wearing any knickers as she bends over the table and lightly skates her fingers over her outer lips and clit. She moans and wiggles her hips as she inserts two fingers and pumps them slowly. My hips thrust toward her as my eyes change to amber. "Buffy." It comes out as a strangled moan. She turns around and lies back on the table with her legs spread wide, working her clit with her other hand until she's gasping and moaning. I'm panting and thrusting my hips in time with her hand when she brings her fingers to her mouth for a taste. I moan, "Bloody hell…. Buffy…. please." Her body tenses and she cries out, then looks at me and nods. I'm across the room and buried deep within her in an instant.

Her walls are still convulsing and squeezing me almost painfully as she comes down from her orgasm. I wrap her legs around my waist and pull her close, burying myself deep, as she smiles up at me. "You were a good boy, Spike."

I pull out slowly and push back into her. "And you're a naughty little minx, torturin' me like that."

She moans and grips my arms hard enough to bruise, then grins mischievously up at me, "What you gonna do about it, Big Bad?"

I growl as I move within her slowly. "Gonna shag you senseless."

She locks her ankles and raises her hips to meet my thrusts. "Oh God, Spike, harder!" I keep my pace slow and steady as she writhes and moans beneath me. I bring my thumb to her clit and work it until she's gasping and pulling at my arms, then I back off and change position. She whimpers then starts to moan and gasp, her entire body thrumming with unreleased tension, as I bring her to the edge again and again. "Please, Spike!" I leer down at her and grip her hips as I pound into her. Her legs start to quiver, then squeeze like a vise, as she comes with a scream. Her nails dig into my arms as she clenches all around me, and I bury myself to the hilt and explode with an ear splitting roar.

I collapse onto her and bury my head in her neck. "God, Buffy, you're amazing." She licks and nibbles my ear as she squeezes me with her inner muscles. I gasp as I nip at her neck then move down to lick and suckle at her breasts as I gently thrust into her.

She pulls me closer with her legs and whispers, "You feel so good, Spike." I raise up and start thrusting harder when my vamp hearing picks up voices down the hallway.

"The scream came from down there. Sounded like a woman."

"I heard something roar. Could be a demon loose in here. Did anyone radio that something got out of the basement?"

Bugger.

"Luv, we need to get ourselves together, we're 'bout to have company." I pull out of her and stuff myself back into my jeans, doing up the buttons as I move toward my shirt on the floor. I snatch up my shirt and pull it over my head as Buffy slips her skirt back down and quickly slides into her shirt. The door crashes open before she can get it buttoned, so I step in front of her and raise my hands. Half a dozen members of the Wolfram and Hart Special Ops unit file into the room with weapons raised.

I smile and step back a little. "Oi! Gents! What's with all the firepower?"

One of the grunts scans the room and barks at us. "What are you doing in here? Are you both alright?"

"We're fine. What seems to be the problem?"

"We had reports of something roaring and a woman screaming." Buffy snorts and quickly swallows it. "Have either of you seen anything?"

I shake my head and laugh. "Nope, not a thing." *_ But if you blokes had been about five minutes earlier you sure would've. *_

Buffy giggles behind me and wraps her arms around my middle, pressing her forehead to my back. *_ That was close. *_

*_ Maybe we should get to our flat 'fore we start the festivities next time, eh pet? *_

The grunt who fancies himself the leader steps forward and practically growls at me. "Who are you and what are you doing in here?"

I lower my hands and smirk at him. "This is a conference room, innit, mate? We were in conference. Now bugger off."

He steps toward me and raises his weapon a little higher. "I'm going to ask you once more. Who are you and what are you doing in here?"

Buffy releases me as I step toward him. "You don't want to do that, mate."

He glares at me then pokes me in the chest with the muzzle of his rifle. "Stand down or I'll take you down."

I release my demon with a loud snarl. "You really don't want to do that."

Buffy puts her hand on my arm. *_ Spike, I don't think Angel would be too happy with you damaging his employees. *_

I snort, *_ Like I give a bloody damn. Peaches shouldn't hire complete wankers. *_

One of the grunts in the back says, "Um… sir, I think we should stand down."

Leader grunt growls back at him, "And why is that?"

"Um… he's Mr. Spike."

"And?"

I can see that grunt junior desperately wants to smack some smarts into leader grunt. He rolls his eyes and says calmly, "He was mentioned in the debrief yesterday. He's Mr. Spike. Mr. Angel's Grandchilde?" I can practically see him add "Ringing any bells, you dumbass?" in his head.

Comprehension dawns in leader grunt's eyes and he lowers his weapon and steps back. "I'm sorry, sir. Please accept my apologies."

I smile around my fangs. "You blokes are lucky one of you possesses a functional brain. Now toddle off and find whatever you were lookin' for." *_ Yeah, that's gonna happen. *_

Buffy giggles again and moves up beside me, slipping her hand under the back of my shirt. I wrap my arm around her shoulders and shake off the demon. The grunts turn to leave and I point to junior grunt, "Oi! C'mere for a mo'. Want to ask you somethin'."

He steps up to me and snaps to attention. I smirk, "You can stop that, mate, really. Just stand easy or whatever you call it."

He loosens up just a bit and says, "What can I do for you, sir?"

"What's your name, mate?"

"Wilson, sir."

My eyebrow goes up, "That's it? Just Wilson?"

He shakes his head, "Uh no, it's Travis Wilson, sir."

"So, Travis Wilson, how did you know who I was?"

He blushes faintly, "Well, sir, this whole squad is new here and yesterday we were briefed on the principals of the firm. Mr. Angel, of course, and his family, and you and your family. Also the Harris family, a Mr. Giles, Mr. Gunn, Mr. Wyndam-Pryce and Miss Burkle. We were given short descriptions of everyone and instructed not to interfere with them unless we had a direct order to do so. We are to assist if needed, but in Mr. Angel's words, _just leave them the hell alone._"

Buffy and I both laugh. "Yeah, that sounds like Peaches. So, you recognized me and your leader didn't?"

He shrugs, "I was paying attention during the debrief. I don't think he was, sir."

I give Buffy a squeeze and say, "Ok, so who's this beautiful bird?"

"She's Elizabeth Anne Summers, called Buffy, from Sunnydale. The Vampire Slayer. She's mated to William Jonathan Pratt, also known as William the Bloody and Spike. They have one son, William Rupert Pratt who is presently twelve years old, sir."

Buffy says, "Wow, Travis. You picked all that up from one meeting?"

He smiles shyly. "Yes, ma'am."

I clap him on the shoulder, "Full marks, Travis, and you don't have to call me sir or mister. Now, you'd better go find your leader 'fore the annoyin' little blighter hurts himself."

He spins and jogs out of the room, laughing under his breath.

I pull Buffy to me and kiss her gently. "Let's go, pet. I'm feelin' a mite peckish."

She slips her hand down my stomach and rubs me through my jeans, then nibbles on my ear and whispers, "Yeah, you'd better eat, you're gonna need your strength. I'm not done with you yet."

I move to kiss her, but she ducks and runs out the door, laughing. A growl rumbles through my chest as I give chase.


	30. Ch 30 Note to Self

Chapter 30 – Note to Self

(Spike POV)

Ringing.

Insistent ringing.

Phone.

Bugger.

I blearily lift the phone to my ear and mumble, "What."

"Spike?"

"Yeah. What."

"You planning to drag your ass out of bed anytime today?"

I groan, "Cor, Peaches, give us a few minutes, yeah? Had an interestin' and exhaustin' night."

He chuckles. "I know. Heard about the conference room from my security chief this morning."

Suddenly fully awake, I bolt up and shout, "WHAT?"

"Security cameras, Spike. Get your ass down here." The phone clicks in my ear as I sit gaping at the wall. Bollocks. Forgot about the soddin' cameras everywhere.

I reach over to wake Buffy but the bed is empty. _*__ Pet? *_

_*__ Good afternoon, Mr. Sleepyhead! *_

_*__ Where are you? What time is it? *_

_*__ Training room and almost three. I would've woken you, but you looked so cute. *_

I sit up straight and puff out my chest just a bit. _*__ Cute? Oi! Fierce Vampire here! Not. Cute. *_

_*__ Yeah, a fierce vampire who looks cute when he's asleep. Deal with it, Blondie. Besides, you needed the rest. *_

I grin, _*__ I was a bit knackered. Somebody kept me up all night. *_

_*__ Didn't hear you complaining at the time. Heard other things, but no complaints. *_

I laugh, _*__ No, no complaints at all, luv. I need to have a word with Peaches, then I'll be down. *_

_*__'Kay. Love you. *_

_*__ Love you too, Buffy. See you in a bit. *_

I quickly pull on my clothes and snag my duster on the way out the door. Bloody cameras! Buffy will be completely mortified when she finds out. She's mostly gotten out of the habit of punchin' me in the nose when she's upset, but this just might reawaken that. I reach up and touch my currently unbroken nose. Guess it was nice while it lasted. Spike's nose, get ready to meet the Slayer's fist when she finds out about this.

Angel is glowering at me when I walk into his office. He chucks a disk at me and I catch it just before it smacks me in the head. "That's your copy. The only copy."

I look down at the disk then back up at Angel. "What? My copy?"

He nods. "I had the original purged from the system."

Oh. I stuff the disk into the pocket of my duster. "Uh… thanks, Peaches, but what about the blokes on camera duty? I don't give a damn about myself, but Buffy…."

He holds up his hand. "It's taken care of. And before you ask, I didn't watch it. The only people who saw it were the security chief and the agent on duty at the time. They've both had their memories altered."

I duck my head, "Thanks, mate. Sorry you had to deal with this."

He sighs tiredly, "Just don't let it happen again, Spike. The next time you and Buffy feel like having a ___conference_, don't do it in one of my conference rooms."

I scowl at him as my eyes fly up to meet his annoyed glare. "Oi! Hold on a bloody minute. If you didn't watch it, then how'd you know I said that?"

He smirks at me. "I was briefed on the incident by the security team leader, and don't send my security teams on wild goose chases, Spike. They spent half the night looking for a demon on the loose. They called up to the agent watching the monitors, but he had the sense to tell them he hadn't seen anything."

I laugh, "Yeah, well, couldn't really tell 'em it was me doin' the roarin', now could I? Wouldn't embarrass Buffy like that in front of a bunch of grunts. Plus, wasn't feelin' especially helpful after the lead git threatened to ___take me down_. Like he even had a chance."

Angel's glare turns stormy, "He did what?"

"What, that bit wasn't in his debrief? He leveled his rifle at me and poked me in the chest with it when I didn't answer his question. One of the other blokes told him my name, but he didn't back off 'til he was told I was your Grandchilde."

"Really."

"Yeah, the leader didn't have a bloody clue, but the other bloke rattled off our particulars like he was a soddin' Scooby. Said he picked it all up in one meeting."

"Did you get his name?"

"Travis Wilson."

Angel stands and moves around the desk. "Thanks, I'll look into it after we deal with the prophecy. Can't have my employees threatening my Childer. I think we're just about ready to go. Fred, Wes and Gunn won't be there this time, though. There was an incident at another branch and they've gone to help sort it out."

I shrug and pull out my pack of fags. "We should be fine without 'em. Red and Harris can protect the kids while the rest of us take out the rabbits. Is Connor on board?" Angel nods as he scowls at the smoke curling around my head. I take a deep drag and blow the smoke out my nose. "Should we let him fight? Can he fight?"

Angel leans against his desk and nods again. "He could before his memory was altered. His entire childhood was fighting. He might be a little rusty, but he has the strength and speed of a master vampire, so yes, I think we should. He's actually excited about getting to fight. He told me he always felt like something was missing and he wasn't supposed to be working in a bank. He wants to join the firm."

My head tilts, "What about his family?"

"Wants to bring them along. Says his wife is really open-minded and would have no problem accepting who he really is. I'm not so sure. How do you explain vampires and demons and magic to someone who's never dealt with the mystical world?"

I chuckle and shake my head, "Well, let's get through this, then we can worry about it."

"Yeah."

I stub my fag out in the ashtray on Angel's desk and nod toward the door. "Alright then. Let's go kill some soddin' rabbits."

XXXXX

XXXXX

(Spike POV)

Buffy's bleeding. I smell the rich, heady scent of her blood as we step out of Angel's office. I break into a run and burst through the training room doors to see Buffy sitting on the floor with Mel holding a bandage to her arm. Her arm is covered in blood and it's dripping off her fingers. The scent fills the room and sends my demon into a blind fury. It screams in my head, ___Protect my mate!_

Bug looks at me, then nods toward Buffy, "Connor hit her with a sword. They..."

I leap across the room with a roar and slam Connor into the wall, pinning him by his throat, then hiss as I slide into game face, "Got anythin' to say 'fore I tear your throat out?"

I hear several screams and Harris yells, "Spike! What are you doing?"

Connor gapes at me and his mouth starts moving as Angel latches onto my arm and throws me violently backwards. I bounce off the opposite wall and launch at him, slamming my fist into his face. He reels back and I turn and latch onto Connor's arms, pulling him towards my fangs. They're brushing his skin and I'm about to sink them deep when Buffy shouts in my head, _*__ SPIKE! STOP! *_

I jerk as a wave of pain slices through my head, then turn slowly to look at her. She's walking toward me, holding the bandage to her arm. The demon is telling me to bite and bite now, as I snarl loudly and tighten my grip on Connor. Angel starts advancing toward me, but Buffy shakes her head and waves him off. He stops moving, but stands tensed and ready. Everyone else has backed to the edges of the room. William is hugging Lillian while Liam stands in front of them with his fists clenched. Willow's hands are crackling with electricity as she stares at me with silver eyes. Giles stands in front of Mel gripping a sword.

I turn back to Connor. He's standing very still, watching me with wide eyes. The scent of Buffy's blood washes over me again and my demon howls as I push Connor back to the wall and lower my head towards his throat.

_*__ Stop, Spike. I'm fine. It was an accident. *_ Buffy lays her hand gently on the back of my neck and I raise my head to look at her. _*__ It's really ok, Spike. We were sparring and he had a lucky shot. *_ She lifts the bandage just a bit and I see the cut is already starting to heal. _*__ See, it's almost stopped bleeding. You can let him go. Please. *_

I close my eyes and wrestle with my demon. When I get it somewhat under control, I drop my hands and step back. Buffy steps in front of me and leans into my chest as I wrap my arms around her. _*__ You were going to kill him, weren't you? *_

I nod as I bury my face in her hair._ *__ Yeah. The scent of your blood, seeing you hurt, my demon took over. I was protectin' my mate. *_

Angel pulls Connor away from me and wraps him in a rib-cracking hug, then growls. "What the hell was that, Spike?"

Bug walks up and asks quietly, "Dad? Are you ok?" Buffy and I pull him in and wrap our arms around him.

I whisper into his hair, "I'm fine, Bug. My demon saw your Mum hurt and got a little angry."

He mumbles, "That was ******a little** angry?" then looks up at me. "You're still all fangy." I shake off the demon with a little difficulty, then give Buffy and Bug a squeeze and walk over to Connor. He stands his ground and looks at me warily.

"I'm sorry, Connor. My demon took over when I smelled her blood. My mate was hurt and the demon's only thought was to protect her."

He nods as he hooks his thumbs into the pockets of his blue jeans, "So why'd you stop? I felt your fangs on my throat. Why didn't you bite?"

I tilt my head and stare at him. I'm not sure what reaction I expected, but this… He's calm. His heart isn't racing and I don't smell any fear. You'd think he was attacked by enraged vampires all the time. "Um… Buffy shouted at me."

He nods again as he leans back on the wall, "So, note to self. Don't hurt a vampire's mate. Got it."

I just goggle at him. "What?"

He smiles as he crosses his arms over his chest. "I wouldn't have let you kill me anyway."

I grin and cross my own arms, "Really. And how would you have stopped me? You think you can take a Master Vampire?"

He shrugs, "Know I can."

I drop into a fighting stance and snarl, "Then let's dance."


	31. Ch 31 Spike Shaped Hole

Chapter 31 – Spike-shaped Hole

(Buffy POV)

Connor is leaning on the wall with his arms crossed when Spike drops to a fighting stance and snarls at him. In a sudden blur of motion, he flies at Spike and lands a huge punch to the side of his head. Spike spins and drops, sweeping Connor's legs out from under him then jumps up and shucks his duster, tossing it to me while Connor gets up. They circle each other, punching and dodging and both grinning ear to ear. Suddenly Spike lunges and they're a blur of black, white and blue.

The room is awash with the music of the fight. The meaty smack of punches being landed. The clomping of boots. The thud and grunt of a body hitting the floor. The slight whistling as fists and feet slice through the air. And above it all, the sound of laughter.

Xander jerks Bug and me out of the way just as Spike sails past us and crashes into the wall. He jumps up and barrels into Connor and they both crash into the weapons cabinet. Xander shouts over the noise of dozens of axes and swords clattering to the floor. "Shouldn't we stop this? They're gonna kill each other!"

Before I can answer, Angel shouts and points to the door, "Everybody out!" Connor and Spike are rolling around on the floor with their hands on each other's throats as we hurriedly pick our way through the wreckage of the training room.

Once through the door, Xander rounds on Angel. "Aren't you gonna do anything?"

Angel looks at him impassively. "Yeah. Watch."

Xander screeches, "That's it? Watch? They're gonna kill each other!"

Angel smirks and shakes his head. "Doubtful. They might do each other some damage, but they'll live. They're just sparring."

We all watch as Spike throws Connor across the room. Connor bounces off the wall and they meet in the middle with a flurry of kicks and punches.

Giles says, "Extraordinary. Connor appears to be an even match for Spike. Same strength, same speed and same tolerance for pain. They're landing blows that would kill a human, but neither seems fazed by them at all."

Angel nods, "Connor has all the strengths and abilities of a master vampire, minus the fangs and the sun allergy."

There's a loud crash as Connor makes a Spike-shaped hole in the wall next to where the weapons cabinet used to be. He stands and waits as Spike chuckles and climbs out of the wall, kicking cabinet parts out of his way and brushing drywall dust off his shirt. They square off in the middle of the room and start furiously punching and kicking.

Mel asks, "How long are we going to let this go on? They've destroyed my medical supplies." She waves at the piles of bandages and other medical stuff strewn around the smashed cart.

Angel reaches up and pushes his hands against the doors just as Connor slams into them and falls to the floor. He waits until Connor gets back to his feet and launches himself at Spike before he drops his hands. "Until they get tired, I guess. Could be a while."

Xander asks, "What about the rabbits? Don't we have rabbits to kill?"

Angel shrugs, "We'll wait until they're done and if they can still fight, we will. Otherwise, we can kill them tomorrow. Don't think they're going anywhere. Besides, I'm interested to see what Connor can do. It's been a while since he fought and he needs a little practice if he's going to help us."

Xander huffs, "Well that's just great. Angel! Doors!" Angel leans into the doors and braces them just as Spike bounces off and rolls to his feet, giggling like a madman.

Willow wraps her arms around Xander. "Don't worry, Xan, we'll still get to go evil bunny hunting. Just gotta wait until the boys are done playing."

He grumbles and gives her a kiss. "Yeah."

Liam and Bug have their noses pressed to the window watching the fight move around the room. Lillian is standing between them looking and trying not to look at the same time. She drops her head to Bug's shoulder and squeezes her eyes shut whenever there's a loud crash. I don't think Liam has blinked yet. He's fascinated.

I notice Bug wincing each time Spike takes a hit or crashes into something. I step up behind him and drape Spike's duster over his shoulders then peek through the window. Bug slides his arms into the sleeves as Spike tackles Connor and they both crash to the floor and roll into the wall at our feet. I feel Bug tense under my hands when they get back up and we get a good look at them.

Spike's face is cut and bleeding in several places and his left eye is almost puffed shut. His lips are split and bleeding and he's going to be covered in bruises in a little while, I can already see a few starting to bloom on his jaw. He's got blood leaking out of his right ear and a matted spot of bloody hair on the back of his head.

Connor doesn't look much better. He's got blood coursing down his cheek and neck from a deep gash on his cheekbone. His lips are bleeding and his nose looks broken. He spits some blood on the floor and I notice that a few of his teeth look loose. They raise their fists in a fighting stance and I gasp. Their hands are bloody and scraped and it looks like they've both broken one, Spike's right and Connor's left.

Spike is favoring his right side and I see him wince just a bit as he moves. Broken ribs. Connor looks like he's trying not to put weight on his left leg. His left knee looks a lot larger than his right one and he's holding his left arm close to his body. Looks like his shoulder might be dislocated. Unbelievably, both of them are still grinning.

Bug turns to look at me, worry etched into his features, "Can't you make him stop, Mum? Nobody's going to win, they're the same and he's just getting more hurt."

"Vamps love fighting, Bug, your Dad probably more than most. See? He's still grinning like a kid in a candy store."

I can see in his eyes that he doesn't care how much Spike likes fighting, he just doesn't want him to get hurt anymore. "Please, Mum. Just make him stop." I plant a kiss to his head and nod.

"Excuse me, Angel. The boys have had enough fun for today." He steps aside and I open the door and walk into the destroyed training room.

Spike and Connor are circling each other in the rubble, looking for an opening, when I step between them and hold up my hands. "Fight's over, boys. Shake hands and let's get you two cleaned up. You both look like crap." They both look at me and pout like I just took away their favorite toy and told them to go clean their rooms. I put on my _I'm the Slayer and I said so_ face and say evenly. "Now. I'm not even close to kidding."

_* Spike, Bug is really worried about you. He asked me to make you stop…. so please…. stop. *_

Spike nods at me then straightens up as much as he's able and extends his unbroken hand to Connor. Connor blinks then gently grasps Spike's hand and shakes it. "Good fight, mate. Have to do it again sometime, yeah?"

Connor nods and smiles, "Yeah, I had a good time. Been a while. Thanks."

Spike claps Connor on the back and drapes an arm over his shoulders as they both limp out of the training room. Spike glances at Angel on the way by and smirks, "Sorry 'bout the damage, Peaches."

Angel shakes his head and smiles. "No you're not."

Spike laughs then grimaces and clutches his ribs. "You're right, I'm not. It was a bloody fantastic time."

Bug walks up and gingerly wraps his arms around Spike. "Are you ok, Dad?"

"I'll be fine, Bug. Just a bit banged up." He nods at Willow, "Maybe a little milk is in order, yeah? Think it would work on Connor?"

Willow looks thoughtful for a minute and says, "Might. He's part vampire…. sort of. Probably couldn't hurt."

Spike looks at me with a question in his eyes. _* Do you mind if Connor has some of your milk, pet? Didn't think to ask 'fore I opened my gob. *_

I smile at him and gently run my fingers down the cheek that's not bleeding. _* No, I don't mind, but he might be a little squicked about it. *_

He snorts, _* Should we explain it to him or just hand it to him? Maybe tell him it's a magic vampire healin' potion or somethin'. *_

I laugh, _* Well, it kind of is, but we probably should try to explain it, I guess. He doesn't have to drink it if he doesn't want to, he'll heal anyway. *_

Connor is looking back and forth between Spike and I like he's watching a tennis match. "You two are talking without talking, aren't you? Dad told me about your mating bond."

I nod at him, "Yeah, we do that sometimes."

He smiles, "Well, it's kind of creepy."

Xander throws his hands into the air and shouts, "Thank you! I've been telling them that for years!"

Spike laughs and winces as he grins at Connor, "You didn't think it was creepy when it kept me from rippin' your throat out, mate."

Connor shrugs and winces as his dislocated shoulder moves then smirks, "Didn't think it was the right time to bring it up."

Spike chuckles as I grin at Connor and Angel points to Xander, "Brace Connor, I need to fix his shoulder."

Xander's eyes get wide, "Why do I have to? Mel's the doc. Let her do it."

Mel shakes her head, "I'm not strong enough. You have to pull against Angel when he pulls on Connor's arm."

Xander grumbles under his breath as he steps up behind Connor and wraps his arms around Connor's middle. "Sometime today, Dead Boy. Don't want to stand here hugging him the rest of the night and he's getting blood on my shirt."

Spike snorts, "That's a bleedin' tragedy, Harris." He looks over Xander's bright Hawaiian shirt and snorts again, "How would you even be able to see any blood on that eyesore? Makes my brain hurt just lookin' at it."

Xander chuckles, "No, your brain hurts from all the chemicals soaking into it, Bleach Boy."

Spike shoots Xander the two finger salute as Angel grasps Connor's arm and starts pulling with steady pressure. Xander leans away from Angel with his hands locked around Connor's ribcage. Connor's face is screwed up in pain and when we all hear a loud pop, his eyes fly open and he shouts, "Fuck!" Angel gently lets his arm go and Xander makes sure he's steady then drops his arms and backs up. Connor pulls his arm close to his chest as he looks around at the kids and mumbles, "Sorry."

Liam grins and Lillian smiles, "It's ok, Connor. That looks like it hurt."

Connor nods, "Yeah. It did." Angel slides his arm around Connor's waist to help support him so he can keep his weight off his leg as we start up the hall.

Bug has his arm wrapped around Spike's waist with Spike's arm resting on his shoulders and I'm holding his non-broken hand. "Where we headed, pet?"

I shrug. "Our apartment, I guess. We can't fight the rabbits until you two are back to good, so we may as well have some dinner while the milk works and you guys get cleaned up."

The elevator doors open and we all pile in while Willow waits in the hall. "Going to the vault to get the milk. Meet you there."

"'Kay, Wils. See you in a minute. Pizza sound good to you?"

She nods and says "Pepperoni and extra, extra cheese." then turns and walks down the hall.

The elevator doors slide closed just as Connor says, "Milk?"


	32. Ch 32 I Know Things

Chapter 32 – I Know Things

(Spike POV)

"You want me to drink your mate's breast milk because it has magical properties and will instantly heal me?" Connor asks incredulously.

I nod, "Well… not instantly… but… yeah."

"Riiiiight. I think maybe I hit you in the head one too many times."

Angel laughs, "Spike's brain isn't damaged… well… no more than usual."

Harris barks laughter as I shout, "Hey!"

Angel smirks at me then looks at Connor. "Buffy's milk does work."

Connor glances at Buffy then looks at me, "And you found this out… how?"

Buffy blushes a deep red as she gets up and goes to the kitchen. Harris and Giles quickly follow with Harris muttering something about too much information. I look at Willow and Mel, "You birds gonna fly, too?"

Mel shakes her head, "Heard it already. Not a big shocker."

I raise my eyebrow at Willow and she smiles, "I'm an adult with children of my own, Spike. I know things."

I chuckle under my breath and smile, "Right then. Bug was still nursin' the last time I met the evil rabbit and it sliced my leg all to hell. A month after the fact, the gashes still hadn't closed, and I was still bleedin'. I drank some of Buffy's milk and my leg was completely healed about two hours later."

Connor blinks at me. "Uh-huh. And what made you think to try her milk?"

"Well… um… it wasn't really a conscious decision. She and I were… um… well... we were..."

Mel speaks up, "They were having sex and Spike suckled from Buffy."

Angel chokes on his blood and Connor bursts out laughing. Willow blushes as red as her hair.

Thanking the Powers again that vampires can't blush I stammer, "Um… yeah. So… anyway… it works."

Connor nods. "I'd like to point out that your son is what, twelve or so? How's the milk still any good?"

Willow clears her throat, her face still a little red, "Magical storage."

Connor nods, "Right. Well that makes as much sense as anything else that's happened to me in the last few days." He looks at me. "You've already had yours and you do look a lot better, so yeah, I'll drink it."

Buffy walks into the living room carrying paper plates and napkins. "The pizza should be here in a few minutes. I'm gonna go get the kids."

I toss Connor his bottle of milk as I get up. "I'll come with you, pet."

Angel growls, "Yeah, leave me to pay for the pizza. Again."

I shrug on my way out the door. "What can I say? I'm evil."

XXXXX  
XXXXX

(Spike POV)

I toss my crust into one of the empty pizza boxes. "So, what's the plan then?"

Connor is staring at me.

I stare back at him and smirk, "Can I help you with somethin', Connor?"

He starts and smiles at me sheepishly. "Sorry, just didn't think vampires ate human food. Dad doesn't."

I chuckle, "Not your average vamp, mate. I've always liked human food. The Bronze back in Sunnydale had this amazin' onion thing that I loved. Well, they did until Demon Girl's troll destroyed the place and they remodeled. Remodeled it right off the soddin' menu."

Buffy laughs, "Geez Spike, it's been how many years and you're still upset about that?"

I shrug and smile, "It was good."

Harris grins at me, "So, same plan as last trip? Gear up and hunt some rabbits?"

Angel says, "Well, we've got four equally strong fighters, a powerful witch and... you." He nods at Harris.

It's my turn to bark laughter while Harris shouts, "Hey!"

"You're thinkin' we need more?"

Angel shrugs, "I don't know. We can't be sure we'll only have four rabbits, or that they'll be the same type you fought last time. Willow and Xander would be able to protect the kids, but if something happens and we need Willow's help, then, no offense, Xander, but I don't know that you'd be enough to fight one of these things off."

Xander shakes his head and holds up his hand, "No offense taken. I remember what Spike looked like after the first time he fought it. Who did you have in mind?"

"Travis Wilson."

Buffy sits up and glares at me. *_ You told Angel about the conference room? *_

I shake my head. *_ Um… no… I didn't tell him. That git that threatened me told him about findin' us in there. I told him about Travis. *_

*_ Oh. Ok. *_ She snuggles into my lap and gently kisses me.

Harris rolls his eyes at us then asks, "Who's Travis Wilson?"

Angel says, "He's a member of my Special Ops team. He made quite an impression on Spike last night."

Harris raises his eyebrows at me then gets up and hands Angel the phone. "Well get him up here, Dead Boy."

Angel scowls at Harris then takes the phone and punches a few numbers. "This is Angel. I need Agent Travis Wilson to report to me at Spike's apartment immediately. Fully armed. Thanks." He hangs up and tosses the phone to me.

My eyebrow rises as I say, "Fully armed?"

"Well, I don't know if a gun will transfer over, or even if these things can be killed with guns, but it might distract them enough for the kids to get away if it comes to that." He shrugs. "Couldn't hurt."

XXXXX  
XXXXX

(Spike POV)

Travis is standing at attention when I open the door and I can feel the nervousness rolling off him. He's got a rifle slung across his back, two handguns clipped to his waist, and a large dagger strapped to his thigh.

I smile at him, "Travis! Good t' see you again, mate. Come on in."

He walks stiffly into the living room and stands at attention next to the wall. "Thank you, sir." He looks at Angel and says, "Reporting as ordered, sir."

I walk back over to the comfy chair and slide down behind Buffy. "Travis, you really don't have to call me sir. I'm Spike. Peaches, would you please tell 'im he can relax?"

Angel stands and holds his hand out to Travis. "Travis, I'm Angel." Travis blinks at him and slowly reaches out and shakes Angel's hand. "Thanks for getting here so quickly. Please have a seat and we'll get you up to speed."

Travis unslings his rifle and leans it against the wall by door then sits at attention on the edge of the couch next to Harris.

I motion to everyone in the room, "Right then. Travis, you know who we all are, right?"

He shakes his head. "I know everyone except the gentleman next to Liam."

"Sorry, his name's Connor. He's Angel's oldest son." Travis blinks. "Long story. Everyone, this is Travis."

XXXXX  
XXXXX

(Spike POV)

"Well, that's about it. Everythin' clear?"

Travis nods. "Prophecy, alternate dimension, killer rabbits, protect the children. I'm clear. When do we go?"

I prod my ribs and stretch my arms over my head. "I'm healed. Connor?"

He flexes his knee and raises his arm then smiles. "I'm good."

"Now work for you lot?"

Xander stands up and says, "Let's gear up."

Willow stands, "I'm gonna take the babies back to our place and call up a nanny. Buffy, could you help me?"

Buffy nods, "Sure, Wils." She stands and takes Jesse from Harris.

Bug stands and says, "Hand me Sophie. I'll carry her home." Liam and Lillian trail after Bug.

The phone rings as the door closes behind them. I lean over to punch the speaker button. "'Ello?"

"This is Agent Bradford. I need to speak to Mr. Angel."

"This is Angel."

"Sir, I have an irate squad leader here demanding to know why Wilson didn't show up for duty. I told him he was ordered to report to you, but he's threatening to put Wilson on report if he doesn't get down here in five minutes."

Angel sighs. "Bradford, is he in the room with you?"

"Yes, sir."

"Put me on speaker, please."

"Done, sir."

"Agent Spencer, this is Angel. You've already been told that I requested Wilson's presence, correct?"

Leader grunt says, "Yes, sir, but..."

Angel growls, "But nothing. Wilson is working with me. He'll be here until I say he's finished. If you can't understand that, I could send Spike down to explain it to you. In fact, I should let him eat you."

Travis shoots a wide-eyed stare at me. I smirk back at him and shake my head. Giles frowns and pulls his glasses off for polishing.

Spencer squeaks out, "Sir?"

Angel growls loudly, "You threatened my Grandchilde, Spencer. Usually when someone disrespects me by threatening my Childer, I torture them slowly… it could take days… before I drain them dry."

I hear another small squeak come from the phone.

"However, Spike likes to take care of his own business, and I spent two decades teaching him how to do just that."

Mel punches Angel in the arm and mouths, "Don't be mean."

I press my lips together and try desperately not to laugh. Harris is holding his sides and laughing silently as Travis looks at him in amazement.

Spencer says, "S... sorry s... sir. I understand. There's n... no need to send Mr. S… Spike. P… please tell him that I apologize f… for the incident last n... night."

"I will. Just don't let something like that happen again. Next time I won't be so forgiving." Angel waves at me and I punch the speaker button then burst out laughing.

Harris draws in a ragged breath and falls off the couch still clutching his sides. "Dead Boy! I think that guy's gonna have to go change his undies."

Travis looks at me with a smile, "So you weren't really going to eat Spencer?"

I shake my head still laughing. "No, swore off humans years ago, although Harris keeps tellin' me to bite him, and he did tell me once that he was a nummy treat."

Harris sits back on the couch and smirks at me, "You know it, Bleach Boy."

Travis laughs and shoots a sideways glance at Angel who's chuckling to himself then looks back at me.

"Peaches wouldn't have eaten him either. We're both bagged blood all the way. Peaches was just messin' him about."

Angel nods, "I can't have my employees threatening my family, especially employees in leadership positions. I'll bet Spencer spends the rest of the day researching Spike and me just to find out what we're capable of. He won't make the same mistake again, and he'll be a better soldier and a better leader because of it."

Willow, Buffy, and the kids walk back in and Buffy says, "Munchkins are tucked in, let's go." She looks at us and asks, "What's so funny?"

Mel says, "Angel was threatening one of his employees. Told him that Spike was gonna torture and eat him."

Buffy tenses up and glares at me. *_ And just when did you start eating people again, Spike? *_

I hold up my hands and shake my head. *_ I haven't, pet. Angel was just linin' out that sod from last night. Put a little fear of the boss into 'im. *_

She relaxes and smiles at me, *_ Good. I'd hate to have to stake you. You're so cute when you sleep. *_

I smirk at her. *_ That's all you keep me around for… to watch me sleep? *_

She walks over and climbs into my lap, twining her fingers in my hair. *_ No, you do have other uses, and I kinda like you. *_

I nuzzle her ear. *_ Well, pet, I kinda like you, too. *_

Travis leans over and whispers to Harris, "What's going on?"

Harris sighs, "I'll explain it on the way down." He stands up and smirks at us, "Hey, Buffster and Captain Peroxide, you can do that later. Let's go."


	33. Ch 33 I Did Not Scream

Chapter 33 – I Did Not Scream

(Spike POV)

I push through the doors of the training room and stop to look around at the mess. "Should we move this party somewhere else? Bit messy in here."

Angel growls out with a grin on his face, "You made the mess, you clean it up."

"Hey, Connor helped!"

Buffy laughs, "C'mon boys, we'll all help clean up."

We push the debris to the edges of the room and pile the undamaged medical supplies off to the side. Harris and Willow pull the axes and swords out of the mound of broken cabinet and pile them next to the weapons chest. The kids sweep the dust and smaller bits off the center of the floor making a circle large enough for all of us to sit in.

I stand back and survey the room. "Looks good. Now everybody needs to get weapons. Make sure you have a small knife to carve the return mark."

Bug and Liam are edging slowly toward the weapons chest again. I step up behind them and clap my hands on their shoulders. "Except you two. You need to have a small knife, but that's it. You'll be with Harris, Red and Travis."

Bug frowns, "Awww, Dad!"

"No arguments, Bug. We've covered this. You run. Period."

Angel walks into the training room carrying a cooler. "What you got there, Peaches?"

He puts it down next to the pile of medical supplies. "Milk. Thought we should have some here just in case."

I nod. "Good plan for three of us, but does it work on non-vamps? We've never used it on a human."

He shrugs, "Hopefully we won't have to find out."

"Yeah." I turn to the rest of the group, "Ok, looks like we're ready. Let's get goin', yeah?"

Everyone takes a seat in a circle and Buffy places the scythe on the floor in the center. Willow says, "Ok, join hands and let's do this."

We all join hands and Willow and Lillian start chanting. The scythe rises off the floor and glows with a strong blue light. A beam of light shoots from my talisman and connects with the scythe and we're back in the grass.

XXXXX

XXXXX

(Spike POV)

Angel and I jump up and scan our surroundings. "Do you smell it?"

Angel nods, "Blood. Over there."

"Let's go." We start jogging toward the smell and come on the first place I fought the rabbit. "Ok, feelin' a little déjà vu here. The next patch should be over in that direction."

We get to the second rabbit patch and see nothing but blood and trampled grass. "Everybody stay here. Peaches and I will scout around and see if we smell anything. If we do, I'll tell Buffy."

Angel says, "Maybe you should check the bond. Make sure it works here."

"Right." _*I Can you hear me now? */I_

_*I What? */I_

I think louder, _*I Can you hear me now? */I_

_*I What? */I_

_*I CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? */I_

She smiles at me, _*I Geez, Spike, you don't have to yell. */I_

"Very funny, Slayer. Yeah, the bond works."

Angel and I turn toward the sinkhole when Harris says, "Hey, don't think you need to do that. Look over there." He points and we all look. Off in the distance are several large forms moving in our direction.

"Looks like the party's just about to start. Harris and Travis, take the kids and move over there a bit. Red, can you set a protection spell around them?"

She nods, "My magic feels a little different here, so I'm not sure if it's gonna work the same, but I'll give it a shot."

"Ok, the rest of us fan out a bit and try to keep 'em away from the kids. Cutting off their heads seems to kill 'em. Just try to stay away from the claws and their bloody tails."

Connor pulls his sword and unsheaths a dagger then moves off to my left. Angel hefts his sword, swinging it around a bit, then takes position not far from Connor. Buffy and I heft our battle axes and take position to wait for the rabbits.

They lumber toward us slowly, seeming not to have a care in the world. As they get closer, they fan out and pick their target. There's only four of them and they all look like the one I fought last time. They stop about twenty feet from us and just stand there, not moving at all. Finally one says, "Foe, why have you come? It is not yet time."

I snarl back, "I'm of a mind that anytime is a good time for kickin' your arse."

The rabbit steps toward me and growls, "So be it. You will lose."

XXXXX

XXXXX

(Xander POV)

"Not bloody likely." Spike snarls at the rabbit and launches himself into the air, duster flying out behind him. He swings his axe as he lands and buries it deep into the rabbit's stomach. It swings at him and he falls backwards and rolls to his feet, pulling his sword.

Angel speeds toward his rabbit and leaps over it, neatly slicing off one paw as it turns to face him. He spins and slashes across its stomach as its other paw slices down and cuts four deep gashes across his back. He howls and stabs his sword into the rabbit's chest then pulls it out and slices off its head with a vicious swipe. The rabbit's body slumps to the ground as its head flies through the air and lands near me.

I step in front of it and squat down to look at it and I swear the eyes are following me. Travis steps up next to me and I elbow him in the thigh, "Hey, does this thing's eyes look like they're following me?" I stand back up and take a step to the right then back to the left.

He nods. "Yeah, they are. How is that possible?"

"Don't know, but it's seriously creeping me out. Wils, can you magic this thing over there somewhere? I don't want to touch it."

Willow nods, "Sure, Xan. Lillian can keep the spell going." She turns slightly to face Lillian and says, "Just keep concentrating Lill. Can you feel the power?"

Lillian nods, "Yeah, it feels like little bugs crawling all over me. Kinda freaky."

William furrows his brow as he looks at her, "Does it hurt, Lill?"

She shakes her head and smiles at him. "No, just feels weird."

He relaxes and looks back at the fight raging on.

I look over just in time to see Connor slice the head off his rabbit from behind. He kicks the body over and jumps on top of it to launch himself at Buffy's rabbit. Buffy darts in and buries her axe in the middle of the rabbit's back just as Connor buries his dagger in the rabbit's head. He jumps back and Buffy braces her foot on the rabbit to pull her axe out. The rabbit stumbles forward into Connor's swing and its head detaches and flies off.

Spike is circling his rabbit darting in to slash at it then backing up to circle again. Angel starts moving toward him and Spike waves him back. "I got this one, mate."

Angel stops and props his sword against his leg. "Well get on with it then. The rest of us are already done."

"Yeah, yeah. Fine." Spike rushes in and dodges the swipe of a massive claw. He jumps and flips over the rabbit then beheads it with a fast swing of his sword. Angel ducks the flying rabbit head and glares at Spike as he straightens up.

Spike smirks and says, "What?" as he saunters over to us.

I see something out of the corner of my eye and turn to see a rabbit head floating toward me. I make a sound that is not a scream. It isn't! It's more like a manly yell. Yeah, that's it. "Willow! That's not funny!" She giggles and floats the head into a patch of thick grass about ten feet away.

Spike smirks at me, "Harris, did I just hear you scream like a little girl?"

"No! I did not scream. That wasn't a scream." He tilts his head at me and smirks. "Well, it wasn't!"

"Riiiight."

Willow is still giggling when she says, "Lillian, I think you can lower the spell. All the rabbits are dead."

Lillian closes her eyes and shudders a little then opens them and smiles. "That was way cool!"

I walk over and look at the rabbit parts scattered all over. Four rabbit bodies, four rabbit heads and one rabbit paw. I wave at the dismembered rabbits as I turn to the rest of the group. "I don't know, guys. Doesn't this seem like it was way too easy?"

Liam and William are walking around the rabbit head Willow floated away. They've each found a stick somewhere and are poking at it.

Spike shrugs, "Well there were four of us fightin' this time, but now that you mention it, they did seem to die pretty fast. Took me a while to kill it last time."

Angel mutters, "Took you a while this time, too."

"Bite me, Forehead."

Buffy moves over next to Spike and slides her arm around his waist, "Well, are we done? Shouldn't they explode or melt or something?"

William says, "Um, Dad?"

Spike glances at him then looks at Buffy, "Don't know, pet. Last time the scythe started glowin' and sent me back 'fore I saw what happened to the bits."

I hear rustling in the grass where the boys are and turn to see what they're doing just as William shouts, "Dad!"

Everyone's heads whip around to look at William. His eyes are huge and he's staring at the ground. Liam is standing next to him with his mouth hanging open watching something near his feet. Suddenly a blur flashes between us and Liam and he screams and stumbles back, clutching his face.

Angel and Spike are there in an instant. They each grab a kid and leap over the grass, landing lightly behind Willow. Liam is bleeding from a large gash on his cheek. Willow presses her hand to Liam's face and starts chanting. Her hand starts to glow and Liam screams again. When Willow pulls her hand away the cut is closed. "Sorry it hurt, Liam, but I had to stop the bleeding." He nods and wraps his arms around Angel's middle.

Buffy asks, "What happened?"

Spike moves back through the grass and walks around the rabbit head, "Don't think we're done yet, luv. The head is turnin' into a full-size rabbit. It's already got claws. That must've been what hit Liam."

We all turn to look at the other rabbit parts. They're all shaking and swelling. I see a spiny tail sprout out of the lump nearest to me and claws poke out of the head that Angel dodged. The rabbit bodies have sprouted new heads and are slowly getting to their feet.

I heft my sword. "Well, this can't be good."

Spike growls, "What does it take to kill these bloody things?"

Buffy snorts, "Well, apparently cutting them into smaller pieces just makes more rabbits, so maybe we could stop doing that."

Angel says, "Travis, try shooting one."

Travis steps in front of us as he unslings his rifle and flips the switch to full auto. He takes aim at the closest rabbit and lets loose with a barrage of bullets. The kids clap their hands to their ears as they watch with wide eyes. The rabbit twitches and jumps as the bullets slam into its torso. Travis moves the muzzle up slightly and the rabbit's head pretty much disintegrates into a fine red mist that sprays out in a wide pattern, covering the grass and the shaking rabbit parts behind it. Travis stops firing and we watch as the rabbit's bullet riddled body slumps to the ground and stops moving.

I step up and clap him on the back. "Quick. Effective. I'll take it. How many magazines you got?"

He taps the ammo belt around his waist and grins, "More than enough." He pops the spent magazine and slams a fresh one home then takes aim at the next rabbit.

Angel snags his arm, "Hold on a minute, Travis. Let's wait and see if anything happens to the one you shot."

I nod toward the three rabbits slowly walking toward us. "And what do we do with the ones that are still strolling over here while we're making with the waiting?"

Spike looks at Willow. "Can you freeze them or put up some kind of barrier, Red?"

"Yeah." Willow raises her arms and chants in a quiet voice. The rabbits stop getting closer even though they're still walking. They look confused. Their legs are still moving, but they aren't gaining any ground.

I laugh, "That's a good one, Wils! Look at their faces!"

Angel says, "Look at the one Travis shot." I do and it's moving again. The head is almost normal or healed or whatever and it's getting to its feet.

Spike yells, "Bloody hell! Can't cut 'em up and can't shoot 'em. What else is there?"

Buffy says, "Well, vamps dust when they're staked in the heart, maybe try that."

She tosses Spike a stake and he leaps forward, dodging several blows. He ducks under a viscous swipe and buries the stake in the rabbit's chest. It screams, but doesn't die. He rips it out lightning quick and stabs it in again in a different spot. Another scream. He pulls it out and stabs it in again in a new spot then backs up. The rabbit screams again and scrabbles at the stake still lodged in its chest.

"I know I hit the heart all three times. Thing's bloody huge. Guess stakin' doesn't work, either."

The rabbit has given up on the stake and is moving toward us again. Willow looks at it and murmurs something and then it's walking without getting anywhere like the rest.

Buffy frowns, "Maybe we need an enchanted weapon or something. Like the Slayer sword that gave Spike the scar on his eyebrow."

Spike smacks his forehead, "The scythe. That's what we need. It's tied to the soddin' prophecy, so I'm guessin' we have to use it to kill the bloody rabbits."

Willow frowns, "But we need it to get here. How can we use it for that and bring it with us at the same time?"

Angel says, "Also, you used it last time and the rabbit didn't die."

Spike shakes his head, "Oh bloody hell, I don't know."

Connor looks thoughtful, "Maybe he's not the one who has to kill them. When I was a kid, Holtz and I ran across two species of demons that could only kill each other. I could hack one up all day and it wouldn't die until one of the other group cut off its head."

Buffy asks, "So who's supposed to kill them and how do we find out?"

Willow smiles, "Research party anyone?"


	34. Ch 34 Klaatu Barada Nikto

Chapter 34 - Klaatu Barada Nikto

(Spike POV)

We took a day off after we came back from our latest adventure in Bunny Hell. Liam's going to have a scar from the bunny claw, but he's fine and we found out that Buffy's milk does work on humans, although not quite as well as it does on vampires. Probably something to do with the mystical energy level of humans or some rot. Of course he didn't drink very much, because he kept giggling about where it came from, and spilled most of it down his shirt. Healed Angel right up, though.

Connor went back to his house to explain things to his wife and bring her and their daughter to live at the firm. Now that his identity is out, Angel thinks that they'd be in danger outside this building. I'm not sure why, because the only people who know who Connor is **live** in this building, but… hey… Angel's kid. Not my call.

Now we're gathered in a large conference room, sitting around a huge table piled with old musty books, scrolls, and bits of parchment. We've been at this for hours and haven't found anything of any use. Giles is paging through a huge book with a frown on his face and Willow and Buffy are looking at some scrolls.

I've learned a lot about several kinds of demons I'd never heard of, but nothing that applies to our current situation. Even came across some of my own history. Had to scratch out and edit a bit of it that said when I was human I was a common laborer. I graduated with honors from Cambridge University, thank you very much. Just 'cause I speak like a dock worker doesn't mean I was one. A nancy-boy upper-crust accent doesn't really fit with the Big Bad, now does it? Of course, I waited until Rupert left the room before I started writing in his books. Don't fancy being staked today. M' not wearing my talisman.

Harris is kicked back with his feet up on the table scribbling on a notepad, but I think he's just doodling. He's been looking at that same book for two hours. Hell, I think he's still on the same page.

Travis shuffles into the room loaded down with a pile of books, peeking over the top to find his way to the table. I clear a space and he drops them with a groan. "Brought more from the archives. These all have something to do with prophecies involving vampires. Hopefully we'll find something in one of these."

I pull a book off the pile and start paging through it. "So, Travis, you like doin' this more than bein' on the grunt squad?"

He shrugs as he drops into the chair next to me, "I don't mind it. I was always a big reader when I was a kid. I only went into the military because my dad and brothers were all soldiers."

"What brought you to Wolfram and Hart?"

"Didn't really know what I wanted to do when I got out of the Army. A buddy of mine was already working here and he got me the job."

"Did you already know about vamps and demons and what all 'fore you started here?"

"Yeah. My buddy's been on the Special Ops team since just after Angel took over, and he'd tell me about a lot of their missions. I thought he was on some heavy drugs the first time he told me about clearing out a vamp nest, but then he took me clubbing downtown once when I was here on leave and pointed out several vampires. I helped him dust a few in the alley behind the club. I believed his stories after that."

"So, what'd you do on your day off yesterday?"

Travis shrugs as he pulls a dusty book off the stack. "Went patrolling with the squad."

I shake my head and laugh, "Travis, what part of day off didn't get through? Don't you have a girlfriend or a hobby or something?"

He shakes his head, "Haven't been in town long enough to find a girl, and I've been a soldier so long that patrolling is my hobby. By the way, Angel was right about Spencer. He did look you guys up. Spent the whole patrol telling me bits of trivia about you and Angel."

"Like what?"

"Oh, stuff like Angelus is considered the most evil vampire in recent history, and you're considered… how'd he put it… arguably the most violent."

Harris snorts and mutters under his breath, "No shit."

I shrug, "Yeah. I like fightin' and nobody could top 'Gelus in the evilness department."

"How'd you get the name Spike?"

I smirk, "Used to torture my victims with railroad spikes to spice the blood. Seemed fittin'. 'Sides, William the Bloody is just too bloody long to say and William just doesn't strike the right note of fear." Buffy snickers.

He laughs, "Yeah, I can't imagine too many people trembling in fear of William."

Harris giggles and says, "William the big scary vampire. Oooh, I'm shaking."

I shoot Harris the two finger salute. "Sod off, whelp."

"Spencer also told me you've killed two slayers."

I nod as I close the latest useless book and put it on the discard pile. "Yeah, the first one was in China during the Boxer Rebellion. I'd only been a vamp for twenty years or so at the time. Got lucky on that one. Her sword gave me this." I point to the scar on my eyebrow. "Second one was Nikki during the New York Blackout in the 70's. Got my duster from her."

"Did you ever try to kill Buffy?"

Harris, Red, and Buffy look up at me and we all start laughing as I nod. "Oh yeah, loads of times. I've kidnapped the lot of them at least once each and tried to kill them all more than that, but nothing ever quite worked out the way I'd planned. I'd have a solid, well thought out plan and either my own impatience or the Slayer and the Scoobies would muck it up. Her Mum even clocked me in the head with an axe once."

Travis looks at Buffy in astonishment. "Your Mom helped fight vampires?"

She laughs and shakes her head. "Just that one time. Spike had broken into the school with a gang of minions during parent-teacher conferences and was trying to kill me. Mom didn't know he was a vampire when she smacked him with the axe. When she found out about the whole me being the slayer and vampires being real thing, she was a little wigged, but she adjusted eventually. And she always liked Spike, even before the soul. They'd sit in the kitchen drinking hot chocolate and talking for hours. Drove me crazy. I kept trying to tell her that Spike was my mortal enemy and shouldn't be chatting with my mother, but she saw something in him. It took the rest of us a while to figure out what."

I smile over at Buffy, "Your Mum was a classy lady, and a force to be reckoned with."

She smiles back, "Yeah. She'd have made a hell of a Slayer."

"And she made the best hot chocolate I've ever tasted."

The door opens and several people push carts full of food through the door. They clear away the remains of breakfast and lay out our lunch. As they push the carts back out of the room, I get up and refill my mug from a fresh thermos of blood. _* Need anythin', pet? * _

Buffy looks up from her scroll. _* Maybe just some juice and a couple of those sandwiches, thanks. *_

I plate up her lunch and grab a bottle of juice then carry them over to the table. She takes the plate and smiles up at me, pinching my ass as I walk away.

I jump and turn back to her and she smiles innocently up at me. _* What? You have a really nice ass. *_

I smile down at her then bend down and give her a long slow kiss. _* Ta, pet. * _ I walk back over to the food table, grab a plate full of wings, and sit down.

I'm about to pick up my first wing when Giles speaks without looking up from the book he's reading. "Do **not** get sauce on my books, vampire."

I gather up my plate of wings and mug of blood and plop down on the couch next to the door. "Fine, Watcher. Your books are now safe from William the Bloody."

Harris mutters, "More like William the Messy." Travis laughs and I give both of them the two finger salute, then tuck into my wings.

Buffy growls and pushes back from the table. "Geez, this is aggravating! We need the scythe to get to bunny world and we also need it to kill the bunnies. How can we do both?"

Willow answers, "Well, if we can find another way to get there, then we can take the scythe with us. I'm looking for ways to open a portal to the bunny dimension. The scythe is the key to it, but if we could find some other key….." She trails off and meets Buffy's wide-eyed stare from across the table. They both say at the same time, "Dawn."

My head jerks up. "Niblet? You think she can open a portal to Bunny Hell?" The door opens without anyone but me noticing, and Angel steps silently into the room followed by Wes.

Willow nods. "She's been opening portals for the coven over in England for years. She's not always accurate, but if she has something tied to the dimension she's trying to get to, then she shouldn't have a problem. Instead of us hitting the scythe with a float spell, she'd just have to hold it and turn on her power and we should pop in, no problem. I don't know why I didn't think of it before."

Harris closes his book and stands up, "Well, that solves one problem, now how do we find out who our bunny hunter is?"

Angel says, "Wes has an idea about that."

Everyone looks at Wes as he walks to the table. He clears a space and sets down a large book. Giles whips off his glasses as he whispers, "Where did you get that?"

Wes looks at him, "You know what this is?"

Giles nods, "Yes. I never thought I would actually live to see it."

Harris looks around at the rest of us, "Well nobody else has a clue, so why don't you fill us in?"

Giles whispers, "The Necronomicon."

Silence.

Buffy finally says, "Ok, I'll bite. What's a Neko-whatever."

I put down my wings and walk over to the table, sucking sauce off my fingers. We all stand looking at the book when it hits me where I've heard that name before. I'm about to say something when I hear Harris draw in a quick breath. I look at him and we both grin and say at the same time, "Klaatu Barada Nikto!"

Everyone looks at us like we've lost our minds.

Harris grins, "It's the book from Army of Darkness! The Book of the Dead!"

Nothing but blank stares.

I look around the quiet group, "Third movie in the Evil Dead series? Ash? Deadites? Oh c'mon! It's a classic! Doesn't anyone here watch telly?"

Angel smirks, "Seems like you two watch way too much."

Giles almost growls, "It is not the book from some insipid movie series."

I hold up my hands, "Alright, Rupert. No need to get your knickers in a twist."

He looks at Wes as he puts his glasses back on. "Where did you get it?"

"From a Wolfram and Hart branch in another dimension. I was telling my counterpart at that branch about the research I'd been doing on the Night Child prophecy and he showed me this." He lays his hand on the book.

Giles asks, "The prophecy is mentioned in the Necronomicon?"

Wes nods. "Yes. Actually, this is the original. The texts we've been working from were apparently badly translated copies of this."

Giles sighs and takes off his glasses again. "How much do we have wrong?"

Buffy looks stricken. "Wrong? What parts?"

Wes puts his hand on her arm and says quietly, "Maybe we should all sit down." I walk over to Buffy and take her hand, then sit down on the couch and pull her onto my lap. Everyone else drags chairs over to sit near the couch.

Wes sits down with the book in his lap. "First, what we have right. Spike is the Night Child and Buffy is the Immortal Slayer."

I clear my throat. "William?"

Wes shakes his head, "We had that part wrong. Let me start from the beginning." He pulls a few sheets of paper from the book and organizes them, then takes a deep breath. "The first part of the prophecy talks about the joining of dark and light. Mortal enemies who fall in love. Vampire and Slayer." He looks up from the paper and nods at us. "Spike and Buffy."

He looks down at his notes again. "The next part talks about the child. The texts we had said it was a child sired of a demon. The original puts it quite differently; the only child of half-demons."

Willow asks, "What's a half-demon?"

I nod toward Angel. "We are, luv, Angel and I. Vampires."

Wes and Giles both nod. Giles says, "Vampires are considered half-breeds because they're a demon that inhabits a human form."

Harris says, "Like Anya?"

I shake my head. "No, Anyanka didn't die when she became a demon. She was transformed into a demon and she never lost her soul. When a human is turned, they die and their soul goes to the ether then a demon moves in. Like two people sharing the same flat."

Buffy says, "So, two vampires that have a child together."

Wes nods at her as she looks at Angel. "Now we just have to find this child. I've read through the entire prophecy and conferred with other researchers and there is no mention of where this child might be located. There isn't even any mention of who the child's parents are, so we can't find them either."

Harris leans back in his chair and chuckles, "Shouldn't be that difficult."

I smirk at him, "Yeah, they could even be right under our noses."

Wes looks confused. His brow furrows and he frowns at Angel. "Why does no one sound surprised that two vampires have had a child? I know we have children of vampires here, but there were humans involved in those pairings. Two vampires having a child together is unheard of. And then trying to find this child? Do you not understand how extremely, utterly impossible that is? It could be anywhere! It might not even be in this dimension!"

I laugh. "Isn't he in the Valley, Angel? Gathering up his family to move in here?"

Wes goggles at me then turns to look at Angel. "What the bloody hell is he talking about?"

Angel sighs and runs his hands through his hair. "My son, Wes. His name's Connor. Darla's his mother."


	35. Ch 35 You're Safe Here

Chapter 35 – You're Safe Here

(Spike POV)

Why does everyone call on this vampire when they need something moved? Just because I have super-human strength doesn't mean I like playing pack mule. Doesn't Angel have minions or something to do this? He's head of the soddin' firm and who does he tap to help Connor move his family up to their flat? Me. And Travis. Oh, and Harris.

Connor's wife is following us down the hall carrying their sleeping daughter. She looks a little shell shocked and like she's not quite sure any of this is real. Must be quite the surprise to find out your husband isn't the normal human guy you though he was and that your father-in-law is a vampire.

I lean over and whisper to Connor, "How's she takin' it?"

He shrugs. "She's dealing. We spent most of the night talking. She's a little scared and I'm not sure she quite believes me about the whole vampire thing. Maybe you could show her when we get to the apartment?"

I nod, "Yeah, if you think it'll help. Don't want to frighten the bird any more than she already is. Looks like she's ready to collapse as it is."

He looks back at her and smiles. "She's stronger than she looks."

I stop in front of a door and drop the bags I'm carrying, then pull out a key and unlock the door, swinging it wide. "Welcome home, Connor."

He walks through the door and drops his load of bags in the living room. Harris and Travis follow and I pick up my bags and trudge through the door. Connor goes back out into the hall and brings his wife in with his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

"This is our home now, Tam." She looks around, taking everything in, and finally her eyes settle on me.

"Is he one of them? A vampire?" She glances at Harris and Travis. "What about those two?"

"Let's sit." He guides her to the couch and motions for us to have a seat. "Tammy, this is Xander Harris. He's human."

Harris reaches out and gently shakes her hand. "Nice to meet you."

He points to Travis and says, "This is Travis Wilson, also human."

Travis dips his head and says, "Ma'am."

Connor motions at me. "This is Spike. He's a vampire."

She looks at me and clutches her sleeping child closer to her chest. "You don't look like a vampire. You look like Billy Idol. Where's your fangs?"

I laugh, "Actually, Billy stole his look from me, and I've got the demon leashed, luv. I can bring it out for you if you'd like to see. I'm not gonna harm you or your tyke."

She looks at Connor, then nods and I let the demon out. She gasps as my fangs descend and my eyes change to amber.

"Why don't you have fangs all the time? Can you turn into a bat?"

I chuckle, "I'm a Master Vampire. I have control of my demon, pet. And no, I don't turn into a bat. Only that ponce Dracula does that."

Her eyes get wide. "Dracula's real?"

I grumble. "Yeah. Sod still owes me eleven pounds."

Harris mumbles, "Get over it, Bleach Boy. At least he didn't make you his Bug Eater."

Travis looks at Harris and grins as he raises his eyebrows. Harris shrugs, "I'll tell you about it some other time."

Tammy glances at Harris then turns back to me, "Master Vampire… does that mean you're old?"

I laugh, "Not as old as Angel, but yeah. I was born in 1852."

"How old is Angel?"

"He was born in 1727."

She looks me up and down, "Do you sparkle?"

"Pardon?"

"When you go out in the sunlight, do you sparkle?"

Harris bursts out laughing, "Sparkling Spike. Sounds like some kind of fruity drink. She's talking about that vampire movie from seven or eight years ago. The vampires in it don't dust in the sunlight. They sparkle."

I pull my talisman out from under my shirt and hold it up. "I can go out in the sun if I'm wearin' this. That's why I was able to help move you over here today. If I get hit with sunlight and I'm not wearin' it, then I burn. Real vampires don't sparkle."

"You burn? Like get a sunburn?"

Harris says, "No. Sunlight makes vampires burn as in flames, smoke and ash. It's one way to kill them."

She looks at me and asks, "What are the other ways?"

"Wooden stake through the heart, fire and beheading."

"What about holy water and crosses? Don't they kill vampires?"

I laugh, "No, but they hurt like a bloody bitch. Holy water will only kill a vamp if they drink it."

She leans into Connor and closes her eyes. "Wow."

Connor squeezes her shoulders and asks, "Are you ok, Tam?"

She smiles at him and nods, "I think so. Not every day you find out that vampires are real then get to talk to one."

She looks at me again, "How old were you when you became a vampire?"

"I was twenty-eight, luv."

She looks at me for a while then asks, "Do you like being a vampire?"

I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. I'm dumbstruck. No one has ever asked me that before. Do I _like_ being a vamp? Hmmm. If I hadn't been turned, then I would never have met Buffy or had Bug. I probably would've died of consumption like my Mum was going to. Also, tens of thousands of people wouldn't have died at my hand. What if I was human? I wouldn't be strong enough to keep up with Buffy, that's for bleedin' sure.

I'm glad I'm a vamp for that reason, but do I like being one? I'm strong and fast. I can't get sick. I'll never get old. I can see in the dark and hear better than almost anything. I can pick up even the faintest of scents. I heal quickly and can't be killed by almost everything that would kill a human. Shoot me, stab me, pitch me off a building, or run me over with a bus and I'll bounce right back. All things I couldn't do if I was human.

I'm startled out of my thoughts by Harris laughing, "I like you, Tammy! You're the only person I've ever met that has managed to render Captain Peroxide speechless. That's awesome!"

She chuckles then looks at me again. "So, do you?"

I nod. "Yeah. I like having enhanced senses and super-human strength and speed. And if I wasn't a vamp, I wouldn't be strong enough for Buffy."

I hear the tyke's heartbeat speeding up just a bit. She'll be waking up soon. "Tammy, your sprog is gonna wake up in a few minutes. Do you want me to leash the demon 'fore she sees me?"

She furrows her brow. "Sprog?"

"Your little girl. Do you want me to lose the fangs?"

She shakes her head, "No, I think she'll be ok."

The little one stirs and opens her eyes. She smiles at her parents then looks around the room. She smiles at Travis and tilts her head a little when she sees Harris with his eye patch. Her eyes get wide when they fall on me. She sits up in her Mum's lap and stares. "Mommy, what's wrong with that man's face?"

Tammy says, "Nothing is wrong with it, Amelia. He's a vampire. That's his vampire face. Remember Daddy told you about them yesterday?"

Amelia scoots off her Mum's lap and stands in front of me. "'Ello, pet. My name's Spike. Nice to meet you. That's Travis and the one that looks like a pirate is Xander."

She glances at them then holds out her hand and I shake it gently. "My name's Amelia. I'm almost six. How old are you?"

I chuckle. "I'm 164 years old, luv."

She smiles, "Wow, you're really old. Is Spike your real name?"

I nod. "I have two names. Spike is my vampire name. My human name is William."

"Oh, I have two names, too. Amelia is my name, but everybody calls me Mimi." She reaches up and feels the lumpies on my forehead then pushes up my lip to peer at my fangs. She places her tiny hands gently on my cheeks and stares into my eyes.

"Your eyes are very sparkly, Spike. I like them."

I chuckle, "Thanks, pet. You have very pretty eyes, too. Do you want to see my human face?"

She nods and I put the demon away. She touches the scar on my eyebrow and smiles. "You're very pretty, Spike." Connor, Harris, and Travis all burst out laughing and she turns around with her hands on her hips and says, "Well, he is!"

Tammy says, "I think you mean handsome instead of pretty, Mimi. Boys are handsome, girls are pretty."

She pouts and mutters under her breath, "I think he's pretty." I tilt my head and wink at her and she grins back at me.

Connor asks, "Where's Angel? He said he'd be up here when we got here."

I shrug, "He was talking to Wes when you called. Wes was having a hard time with the fact that he kidnapped you and you ended up in a hell dimension. He's upset that Angel had everyone's memories changed, but Angel's tryin' to explain and hopefully he'll come round."

I stand and take Mimi's hand then nod toward the door. "Fancy a tour, luv? We could show you about and meet up with the others in the conference room."

XXXXX

XXXXX

(Spike POV)

"Wow, this place is huge! Why are people and… other things still working at this time of night?" Tammy asks.

"We're a 24/7 operation, luv. Evil never rests and all that." I open the door to the conference room and motion everyone inside.

Giles and Wes are sitting at the table poring over the Necronomicon and pay us absolutely no mind. Buffy, Willow, and Mel are sitting on the couch chatting, and the kids are on the floor playing with the triplets. Travis sits down at the table and starts paging through a dusty book.

I walk over to the couch and drop down next to Buffy. "Where's Forehead?"

"He went to the airport to get Dawn."

Willow asks, "How is she here already? We only called her like… nine hours ago."

I shrug, "Wolfram and Hart has really good jets."

Connor and Tammy each pull up a chair and Mimi sits down on the floor with the kids. "Hi, I'm Mimi. That's my Mom and Dad. Their names are Connor and Tammy."

Lillian smiles at her and says, "My Da's not here right now, but this is my brother Liam and that's Melinda, our Mum. Your Da is our brother, too. So that means I'm your Aunt and Liam is your Uncle."

Bug sits up and says, "I'm Will. Spike's my Dad and Buffy's my Mum."

Mimi leans over to Bug and whispers, "Spike's a vampire."

Bug smiles and nods. "Yeah, I know."

She whispers back to him, "I think he's pretty. You look like him. You're pretty, too."

Bug blushes and looks at me. "Um, thanks."

Mimi points to the triplets and asks, "Who are they?"

Bug says, "That one's Jesse, there's Johnny, and this is Sophie. Their mom is Willow and Xander's their dad."

She jumps up and walks over to her Mum, then crawls up in her lap and fills her in on who everybody is.

Buffy gets up and shakes Tammy's hand, "I'm Buffy, as you've heard." She smiles at Mimi who gets off her Mum's lap and goes back over to the kids. "How are you doing?"

"I'm ok, I guess. Everything is kind of weird right now. I mean, I just found out my husband's real parents are vampires, and we had to move in here because now we might be a target for demons. You're the Slayer, right?"

Buffy nods, "Yes. I was the only one for a while, but now there are hundreds all over the world."

"I hope you don't think I'm being presumptuous, but if you're the Vampire Slayer, then why didn't you kill Angel and Spike? Killing vampires is your job, isn't it?"

Buffy sits back down and takes my hand. "It is, but Spike and Angel are special. They both have their souls and are fighting the good fight. I actually did kill Angel once and the Powers brought him back. Spike and I tried to kill each other for years before he got his chip and moved to the side of good."

"Chip?"

"He was captured by a secret military organization that implanted a behavior chip in his brain. It would zap him every time he tried to hurt a human. He couldn't feed and came to us for help. He started helping us fight demons before he even got his soul."

She looks at me and asks, "Do you still have the chip?"

I shake my head, "No. It started to malfunction and Buffy had it removed before it killed me."

"So, you could kill me right now if you wanted to?"

"Yeah… I could… but I don't eat humans anymore."

"Because you have a soul."

"Well… that's not the only reason… but yeah, the soul's part of it."

"I guess what I'm trying to get at is… are we safe here? Are you, or Angel, or anyone else going to hurt my child?"

"Yes, pet, you're safe here. You have nothin' to fear from Angel or myself." I wave my hand around the room pointing at everyone. "We'll all protect you and Mimi. You're part of our family now."

She visibly relaxes and leans into Connor. He mouths over her head at me, "Thank you."


	36. Ch 36 Vamp Chow

Chapter 36 – Vamp Chow

(Spike POV)

It's getting late and the kids are getting restless and cranky. Harris drops to the floor next to them and leans in whispering loudly, "Hey, do you guys want to go watch some movies and eat some ice cream?"

Mimi squeals and Bug and the twins all nod emphatically. He whispers a little lower, "Ok, we all have to stand up and give your moms your best puppy dog faces so they'll let us go. Are you ready?"

The kids all stand up and start in with the sad-eyed faces and pouty lips at their respective mothers. Melinda laughs and nods at the twins, and Buffy hugs William and whispers, "Yes."

Tammy looks warily at Xander then leans over and whispers in Connor's ear, "Should we let her go with him?"

Connor nods and whispers back, "He's great with the kids, Tam. She'll be fine."

Mimi is standing in front of her Mum, hopping from foot to foot with her hands clasped together in front of her chest. "Please, Mommy, please can I go?"

Tammy nods and Mimi squeals again then turns and jumps into Lillian's arms. Bug picks up Sophie and Liam grabs Jesse. Tammy gets up and kneels down next to Xander. "Are you going to keep the kids all night?"

He nods, "Yeah. I'll set up sleeping bags in the living room and we'll watch movies and eat ice cream until they crash out."

"She'll need pajamas."

"You haven't unpacked anything yet, so we'll stop by Angel's on the way and she can borrow something from Lill for tonight."

Tammy nods and puts her hand on Xander's arm. "Thanks for doing this."

He shrugs, "No problem. I get to eat ice cream with funny, silly, little people and you get to listen to Wes and Giles drone on and on and on." He grabs Johnny and stands up then herds the kids towards the door. "All right kids! Movies and ice cream, here we come!"

I bump Willow with my elbow, "You know, Red, I think you married a big kid."

She beams a smile at Xander, "Yeah." She gets up and wraps her arms around him and Johnny, then kisses both of them and whispers something in Xander's ear that makes him grin. He gives her a gentle kiss then heads for the door while she bounces to the table and plops down in the chair next to Wes.

Connor, Tammy, and Mel stand and watch the kids troop out of the room talking and laughing. Mel turns to Tammy and asks, "Are you hungry?"

Tammy nods. "Starving! I haven't had anything since breakfast. Been kind of a weird day."

"There's a bunch of snacks over on the table or I could call for something else, if you'd like."

Tammy takes Connor's hand and drags him over to the food. They both fill a plate and Tammy says to Mel, "This looks good. Why do you have so much food in here?"

"We've been researching most of the day trying to find out who has to kill the bunnies and how they have to do it. It's easier to have food brought in than try to go get something to eat." Mel makes herself a plate and motions for them to have a seat at the table.

"Which restaurant do you get this from? It's delicious!"

"It's from the kitchen here at the firm. Since you live here now, you can have meals delivered to your apartment if you don't want to cook. Just call down and let them know what you'd like. They run 24 hours a day and can make just about anything you can think of."

Tammy nudges Connor, "Just think, honey, we'll finally have meals that you can actually identify! And we won't have to replace any more burnt pans!"

Mel laughs, "So I take it you're about as good a cook as I am. My kids would have probably starved to death or grown up on nothing but pizza and Chinese take-out if we didn't live here."

I lean over to Buffy, "Harris is gonna have his hands full with all those sprogs. Think I'd rather be researching."

Buffy pokes me in the ribs, "Like you wouldn't be going with them if you thought you'd get away with it. You're a big kid too, Spike."

I sit up straight, puff out my chest and say in my best nancy-boy accent, "I'll have you know, dear lady, I am a propah English gentleman. I don't hold with such low entertainment."

She rolls her eyes at me, "Whatever, Mr. It's the third movie in the Evil Dead Series."

I laugh and pull her onto my lap then nuzzle her neck, nipping lightly at my mark. She nibbles my earlobe and nips down my neck as her hands rub over my chest, teasing my nipples through my shirt. I growl low in my chest and pull her closer to me, grinding against her heat. _*I I want you, Buffy. Let's get out of here. */I_

She gives me a quick kiss then climbs off me and walks slowly out of the room. _*I Meet me in the bathroom at the end of the hall. */I _ I sit for a minute longer while I slowly untuck my shirt so I can stand up without embarrassing myself. I count to sixty, then stand and wander over to the food table, pretending to look over the selection. No one is paying any attention to me as I turn and walk to the door. I close it softly behind me then jog down to the end of the hall.

I knock lightly on the door, then push it open slowly. Buffy's hand shoots through the opening, grabs the front of my shirt, and jerks me into the loo. She closes the door and locks it, then pushes me up against the wall, attacking my lips with hers. She slips her pants quickly down her legs, stepping out of them while she unfastens my belt, pops the buttons of my jeans and pushes them down past my hips. She wraps her hand around my shaft and pumps me slowly while my fingers find her dripping core and slide in. She moans loudly and grips me tighter. "I need you in me. Now, Spike."

I lift her quickly and slide into her with a loud sigh as she wraps her legs around my waist. "So hot, Slayer. So wet for me." She squeezes me tight and I groan and turn to pin her against the wall. I hook her legs over my arms and brace my hands against the wall, then push deep into her, nipping at her neck with blunt teeth. She moans and digs her nails into my back as I start to thrust with long, deep strokes.

She pulls my ear to her mouth and whispers, "Fuck me, Spike. Fuck me hard." Her words send a bolt of pleasure through me as I pull out slow then slam into her thrusting fast and deep. I latch onto her neck with my human teeth as her breathing speeds up and she starts grunting with every thrust. Her walls start to quiver and I slide into game face. My fangs pierce her skin just as she clenches and cries out, "Oh God, Spike!" Her muscles milk my cock as I bury myself to the hilt and explode, roaring against her neck.

I collapse against her still shuddering and slide my fangs out then lick the wounds closed. She lifts my head and kisses me soft and slow.

XXXXX

XXXXX

(Travis POV)

"Spike, I think we've found something." Giles lifts his head from the Necromicon, looks around and asks, "Where is Spike?"

"He left about five minutes ago, sir. Do you want me to go find him?"

He nods distractedly, "Yes, Travis, if you would. It's rather important."

"Yessir. Right away." I walk quickly out of the conference room and head for the front desk. Easiest way to locate a vampire in this building is to use the scanner.

There's an older brunette woman staffing the desk. She looks at me warily as I approach and says with a little too much sweetness, "Can I help you, sir?"

"Yes, I need to locate Spike on the scanner."

"And you are?"

I flash my ID, "Sergeant Wilson, Special Ops Squad Four. I'm here at the request of Mr. Giles."

"Thank you. Please come around."

I walk around behind the desk and look at the bank of scanners. There are several types of demon scanners, a ghost scanner, one for magical creatures, and the vampire scanner. Only one vampire is presently in the building and he's on this floor. I push the button to bring up the building schematic. He's at the end of the hall in the I_women's restroom_?/I

"Thank you. I've found what I needed." I flip the switch to turn the scanner back to basic mode and head down the hallway. Why is Spike in the women's restroom? I realize that I don't know a lot about him, but I'm pretty sure he's a guy, and as far as I know, vampires don't have to use the restroom.

I stop outside the door and listen. I hear… grunting? I try to push the door open, but it doesn't budge, then I hear a woman's voice cry out "Oh God, Spike!" in unmistakable pleasure, followed by a feral roar. I drop my hand and back up quickly. Well... I found him. He's uh… busy. Yeah. I'll just go wait down there and catch him in a few minutes.

I duck into an empty conference room and lean against the wall. Spike and Buffy are having a quickie in the women's restroom like a couple of teenagers. At least I think it was Buffy. Yeah, it had to be. From what Xander told me, they're mated and have some kind of magical bond. Plus, I don't think she'd take too kindly to him screwing some other chick. Don't know for sure, though. Maybe she's into that. Maybe she's in there I_watching/I_ him screw some other chick. Noooo, she seems way too sweet, and I've seen the way she looks at him. I don't think she'd share. And the way he looks at her, I don't think another woman could even get his attention. So it has to be her in there with him. They've been together for what, thirteen years? Longer? They've got a kid and they're still all over each other. First the conference room the other day… I know that's why they were in there… Buffy was still buttoning up her shirt when we came in... and now the women's restroom. That's amazing. I smack my head against the wall behind me. God, I need a girlfriend.

I hear the bathroom door open and Spike's boots start clomping down the hallway. I look up and he's leading Buffy down the hall with one of her small hands in his while she runs the other one through her hair. I'm about to step out of the room when he stops and tilts his head. He sniffs loudly and smirks, "Travis. Somethin' I can help you with, mate? Why're you lurkin' in a dark room?"

I step out into the hall and Buffy blushes and steps behind Spike. "Um, Giles sent me to find you. He said he's found something."

"And did you?"

"Did I what?"

"Find me."

I can feel the heat rising in my cheeks as I nod faintly. "Yeah, I did."

Buffy whispers, "Oh my God!" into Spike's back. He shifts into game face and takes a step toward me.

I hold up my hands and stammer, "I didn't see anything, I swear, and I only heard a little. Once I figured out what you were… um… doing… um… I left and came down here to wait. I mean, it's not that big a deal, right? You guys are married or whatever. It's natural, right? I mean, so what if you're parents, it's still ok to sneak off once in a while, right?"

"Travis?"

"Um… yeah?"

"Shut it."

"Right. Sorry."

Spike turns to face Buffy and just stands there looking at her. She nods and blushes again then smiles up at him. He goes back to human face and shakes his head then smiles. A scary smile. They both turn to face me. Spike steps toward me again wearing that scary smile. "I have to protect the honor of my mate, you see."

I look around searching for any kind of threat. There's only the three of us in an otherwise empty hallway. "Uh… protect? Protect her from what?"

"You."

I squeak, "Me? What did I do?"

"You've caused her distress. I can't allow that. If I let you live, then I will have failed in my promise to protect her at all costs. Sorry, Travis. I really liked you, too." He shrugs and sighs, "Oh, well." then snarls as he shifts to game face and reaches for me.

I back up to the wall and tense up, preparing to defend myself against a Master Vampire that's ten times stronger than I am. And an extremely skilled fighter. And one of the most violent vampires in history. And I have absolutely no weapons on me. Yeah. I'm going to die.

I close my eyes, resigning myself to the fact that I'm about to become vamp chow, when Buffy starts laughing. I open my eyes to Spike's grinning human face inches from my own. "Gotcha!"

He backs up and puts his arm around Buffy, then grins at me leaning against the wall breathing like I've just run ten miles. I straighten up and wipe my hand over my face. "Oh, you vamps are a funny bunch, aren't ya? Threaten to eat Spencer and then scare the ever-lovin' shit out of me."

Spike laughs, "You should've seen your face, mate! Priceless!"

Buffy walks up to me and puts her hand on my arm. "Are you ok, Travis? Spike wasn't really going to hurt you. He just likes messing with people."

Spike mutters, "Evil."

I take a deep breath and smile at her. "Yeah, I'm ok. I mean, I know he said he doesn't eat humans anymore, but he looked really serious. I was sure I was vamp chow."

Spike barks laughter, "Vamp chow? That's a good one. I'll have to remember that."


	37. Ch 37 Life's Short

Chapter 37 – Life's Short

(Spike POV)

I smell her before we even step through the door. Niblet. She's standing next to Willow and I swear she's gotten taller. She sees us and walks over to us beaming, wraping Buffy in a hug and hooking me into it with her other arm.

"You guys look great!"

"You're beautiful, Bit. England agrees with you."

She gushes, "Oh, it does. I love it there. I miss you guys a lot and the California sun sometimes, but there's so much cool stuff over there. I know I whined and bitched about it when you sent me over, but I just wanted to tell you thanks for making me go."

"I'm glad you like it, Niblet, and it's really good to see you. You've been away too long."

She leans back and smirks at me. "Yeah, but it's not like you don't know where England is, Spike. Nothing stopping you from coming to see me, now is there?"

I shake my head. "I don't deal with the Council of Wankers if I can help it, Bit. They still think that demon equals evil."

She nods. "Yeah, I know what you mean. It's mostly the older Watchers, though. The younger ones are being taught differently, basically because I'm helping to teach them. They love hearing about Clem and you and Anya. They know that not all demons are evil."

"That's good, Niblet. Hopefully all the old tossers will be weeded out in a few decades."

Buffy smiles at me, "That's one of the main reasons I don't work for them anymore. They see the world in black and white and completely miss the gray."

I squeeze Buffy and smile, "Sounds like this bird I used to know. She broke my unbeatin' heart, my face and a few of my ribs."

She grins, "Yeah, but then she fell in love with an evil soulless demon and had to change how she saw the world."

I touch my forehead to hers. "Which evil soulless demon would that be, luv?"

She gently kisses me, "He's blond with beautiful blue eyes and soft, luscious lips that I could kiss for days."

Dawn giggles, "Ok guys, if you two get any sweeter, I'm gonna get diabetes."

Buffy squeezes Dawn and laughs, "Fine, Dawnie, we'll stop. You know, I really miss you. Maybe you could stay here for a while?"

Dawn squeezes us both and says, "Yeah, maybe. I don't really have anything pressing to deal with right now, so maybe I'll take a vacation and hang out here for a while."

Dawn lets us go and drags Buffy over to something in a box on the table. "Come see what I brought you! It's the most beautiful necklace. I found it in a shop in London."

I stand next to Travis watching Dawn chat with Buffy, Mel and Willow. She's introduced to Tammy and Connor and gives both of them a hug.

Travis bumps my shoulder, "I thought you had your soul."

I turn to look at him and tilt my head. "I do. What makes you think I don't?"

He smirks at me, "Buffy just said she loved a soulless demon. I'm assuming she means you."

I chuckle, "Oh, she was just talkin' 'bout when she fell in love with me. It was before I got the soul. The Council had drilled into 'er brain that demons couldn't love and that all demons are evil, so she spent the better part of three years denyin' she had any feelings for me."

"You said she broke your heart?"

I sigh, "Yeah. We'd had… well, I wouldn't call it a relationship, exactly, but whatever it was… she ended it."

"Oh. What about your face and ribs?"

"Oh, she'd play Kick the Spike whenever her feelings or mine got too strong for 'er to handle. Beat me to a bloody pulp once in an alley and she was always punchin' me in the nose. Don't know what it is about my nose, but it seems to be a magnet for Slayer fists."

"Why'd you stay?"

I shrug. "M' love's bitch. Always have been."

"Oh."

"What about you, Travis? Got any birds you're after, or one waitin' back home?"

He shakes his head. "Nah. My high school sweetheart didn't want to travel all over with me and I guess she got tired of waiting for me to come back. She told me when I was in Iraq the second time that she was marrying somebody else, and all the moving around with the Army didn't leave me much time to find a girlfriend." He looks over at Dawn, "So that's Buffy's little sister? She's beautiful. How old is she?"

"D'you want her age in human years or do you wanna know how many years she's been around?"

"What's the difference? She's human, isn't she?"

I smirk, "Well, yes and no. She's an ancient cloud of mystical green energy that's been made into human form."

He raises his eyebrows, "Excuse me?"

I motion toward the couch, "Let's have a sit down and I'll tell you the story of my Niblet, yeah?"

I get comfortable and take a deep breath. "About fifteen years ago, there was a hell god named Glory who'd been exiled to our world and was searchin' for a key so she could open a doorway to her home dimension. The monks that protected the key hid it from 'er by makin' it into a fourteen year old human girl. They sent the girl to Buffy as her kid sister and changed everyone's memories to give 'er a childhood growin' up with the Slayer."

"So she's only fifteen? She doesn't look fifteen."

"Well, technically, but if you figure that she was sent to us as a fourteen year old, then she's twenty-nine."

"Oh, ok, so what happened with Glory?"

"She managed to get hold of Bit and one of 'er minions sliced 'er up a little so she'd bleed. Her blood opened a rift between all dimensions and they started to bleed together. Glory was killed, but Buffy had to sacrifice herself to close the rift and save Dawn."

"Sacrifice. You mean she died?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe it's just me, but Buffy doesn't look dead."

I laugh, "Willow brought her back about six months later."

His eyes get huge and he throws a scared glance at the group gathered around the table. "Willow can raise the dead?"

I chuckle, "Yeah. She's a very powerful witch. She's ensouled Angel twice and almost ended the world after her bird was killed by a barmy nerd boy. She's the one distributed slayer power to all the potentials in the world."

"Wow. Wait… her bird? Willow's gay? But she's married to Xander."

"She was. Her werewolf boyfriend left to _find himself_ and she met a little blonde witch named Tara. They were together until that git Warren killed 'er. Durin' the months leadin' up to the battle with The First, she met a slayer potential named Kennedy and they were together for a long time. Kennedy decided she wasn't mum material and Willow wanted kids so they broke up. She's known Harris since they were kids. Harris almost married a thousand year old ex-vengeance demon, but left her at the altar. They'd kind of patched things up, but then she was killed in the battle with The First. Willow helped Harris get over Anya and they fell in love. Finally."

Travis chuckles. "That sounds like it could be the plot of some supernatural soap opera."

I burst out laughing, "Yeah, I guess it does at that."

"What about Dawn? Is she seeing anyone?"

I raise my eyebrow and smirk at him, "Not that I know of. Why, you interested?"

He smiles and blushes a little, "Yeah. You think she'd go out with a grunt?"

"Might. You do realize that now I 'ave to give you the _if you dare harm a hair on 'er pretty little head I'll end you_ speech, right?"

He laughs, "I won't, I promise. I'm a nice guy. Just ask my Mom."

I laugh and notice Dawn snag Buffy's arm to drag her over to the far corner. She leans in and whispers, "Who's the hottie over on the couch?"

Buffy looks over at Travis and me and smiles. "Dawnie, you've known Spike for years and he's my hottie, you can't have him."

"Oh, ha ha, Buffy. I mean tall, dark and yummy sitting next to him."

I elbow Travis and whisper, "Niblet just called you tall, dark and yummy. Think you've got a shot, mate."

He blushes and looks down at his hands. "You can hear her all the way over there?"

"Uh… yeah. Vampire."

"Oh, right."

Buffy grins at me then looks at Dawn, "His name's Travis Wilson. He's one of Angel's Special Ops guys."

"What's he doing here?"

"Helping out with the prophecy. Angel and Spike thought we needed a little more muscle when we go up against the rabbits."

Dawn stares over at the couch and licks her lips. "Yeah, muscle. Lots of muscle."

Buffy slaps her arm, "Dawn!"

Dawn smiles at Buffy, "What? He's hot. I mean, look at him. Tall… broad shoulders… arms… wish that shirt was a little tighter… want to see what's under it."

Buffy snaps her fingers in front of Dawn's eyes, "Ok, stop drooling over soldier boy."

Dawn blinks and looks back at Buffy. "Does he have a girlfriend?"

* _Buffy, tell Bit that tall, dark and yummy wants to take her out._ *

Buffy laughs and pulls Dawn close to whisper in her ear. "Spike says that tall, dark and yummy wants to take you out."

Dawn blushes a fiery red and glares at me. She whispers, "Stop eavesdropping Spike, that's rude!" I shrug and grin at her. Travis is still looking down at his hands.

She whispers, "He wants to take me out?" I nod and elbow Travis. He looks up at me then follows my gaze and locks eyes with Dawn. She draws in a quick breath as her eyes flash green, then she smiles at him. Buffy takes her arm and leads her over to the couch.

"Travis, this is my sister, Dawn. Dawn, this is Travis Wilson."

He jumps to his feet and gently shakes her hand. "Nice to meet you, ma'am."

She looks him over, her eyes lingering on his chest, then smiles and says, "Hi."

I stand and take Dawn's arms, turn her and sit her down on the couch then step in front of Travis and push him back down. "You kids sit and have a nice chat. No snoggin'."

Travis blushes and Dawn hisses, "Spike!"

I lean in to Travis and whisper, "Remember, mate. I'll end you." He swallows and nods.

I take Buffy's hand and we walk over to the table and sit near Wes. I cock an ear to the couch and hear Dawn say, "What did Spike just say to you?"

"Uh… he said he'd end me if I hurt you."

Dawn laughs, "That sounds like him. He's always been really protective of me, thinks he's my dad or something. So how long have you been with the firm?"

"Almost two weeks."

"And you're already fighting evil prophecy demons with the Scoobies? How'd you manage that?"

"Um, Spike recommended me to Angel."

"Wow, you must have made some impression. Spike doesn't give his approval lightly. What'd you do?"

"Um, my squad was hunting a loose demon and found Spike and Buffy in one of the conference rooms. Spencer, my squad leader, was threatening to kill Spike because he didn't know who he was, and Spike wasn't being very cooperative."

I chuckle just as Dawn says, "Yeah, he usually isn't."

"I told Spencer who he was pointing his rifle at and that he should stop. Probably saved his life."

Dawn asks, "Spike's?" I snort. Like that barmy git could've killed me anyway.

"No, Spencer's. I know bullets won't kill vampires, but Spencer had no clue who he was dealing with." I nod to myself. Bloody right he didn't.

"How'd you know who he was?"

He shrugs, "I pay attention and I have a very good memory for details. We'd had a briefing just after we got here. I listened, Spencer didn't. Anyway, after the squad left the room, Spike called me over and talked to me for a while. He asked me to tell him who Buffy was, so I told him all the stuff I'd learned in the brief. After I left to go find the squad, we hunted for the demon most of the night but never found anything."

"Why were you hunting for a demon in the building? Did something break in?"

"No, at least I don't think so. We got reports of a woman screaming and something roaring."

Dawn laughs and looks over at me. I grin and shrug my shoulders. She turns back to Travis and says, "I bet I can tell you what was roaring. We used to have the same problem when we lived at the Hyperion." I clear my throat and sit up glaring at Dawn. She turns to smile at me then turns back to Travis.

He looks at me then back at Dawn and comprehension dawns on his face. He grins and whispers, "It was Spike, wasn't it?" Dawn nods and giggles. "And he let us hunt a non-existent demon for half the night."

Dawn giggles again, "Well, he probably didn't want to embarrass Buffy. He's very protective of her, too."

"Yeah, I got a taste of that earlier tonight. I thought for sure he was gonna kill me."

Dawn frowns and leans toward him, her eyes flashing green, "Why? What'd you do to Buffy?"

Travis scoots back and holds up his hands. "Nothing. I swear. I was sent to find Spike and I found him and Buffy in the restroom… uh… doing… stuff. I left and waited for them to… uh… finish. He said I caused her distress and that he was gonna have to kill me to protect her honor. He fanged out and I thought for sure I was a goner until Buffy started laughing."

Dawn laughs and claps her hands together, "Spike pranked you? Goddess, that's funny. He must really like you; he usually doesn't do that kind of stuff unless he considers you a friend."

"So he tries to kill all his friends?"

She shakes her head and smiles, "No, just the ones he likes."

Travis mumbles, "Great."

"So where were you before here?"

"Army. I was in fourteen years. Infantry. Just got out last month."

"Why'd you get out?"

He shrugs, "Got tired of all the traveling and never having a home. Wanted to stay in one place for more than a few months. A buddy said he could get me a job here, so I came to LA. What about you? You live in England?"

"Yeah, at the Watcher's Academy. I do a lot of research and help train the young Watchers. We have over five hundred slayers scattered all over the world. They come live at the Academy for a while until they're sure of their power and have learned to use it properly, then we send them out to a slayer squad."

"Spike told me you're the Key. What does that mean, exactly?"

"I can open portals to other dimensions just by thinking about it. I can also open locks. Basically anything that would require a key or a combination to get into, I can open."

Travis looks down at his hands and almost whispers, "Um, would you like to maybe go out with me sometime? Like to dinner or something?"

Dawn smiles and scoots closer to Travis then reaches for his chin. She lifts his head so that she's looking into his eyes then leans in and gives him a gentle kiss.

His eyes go wide and he backs up a little throwing a worried glance over at me. "Uh… what… uh." he sputters and Dawn puts her finger on his lips to shush him.

"It's ok, Travis, Spike's not going to _end you_ just because I gave you a kiss. I didn't mean to freak you out, I really like you and I just wanted to let you know that."

He gapes at her, "You've only known me for a few minutes, how can you like me already?"

She lays her hand gently on his knee. "One of my powers is being able to sense people's auras. I knew you were a good person the minute I looked into your eyes. Spike and Buffy liking you also tells me that you're someone special. They're picky about who they include in their circle. Look around. Everyone in this room is either family or has an '_I survived an Apocalypse, ask me how'_ t-shirt, except you. The fact that you've been included in the drudgery of research, and not just called upon when it's time to fight, speaks to the quality of your character." She laughs and says, "Oh Goddess, I sound like Giles. I spend way too much time surrounded by tweedy Brits."

I burst out laughing and everyone at the table looks at me strangely. I wave my hand at them and mutter, "Don't mind me. Carry on."

"Plus, Willow probably would've turned you into a toad or something if she sensed anything even a little bit off about you."

Travis shoots a wary glance at Willow then asks, "But why'd you kiss me? Isn't that kind of fast?"

Dawn smirks, "Travis, I lived on a Hellmouth. I deal with demons and vampires and world ending prophecies all the time. I know that life is short and can end suddenly and I've learned not to waste time. If I want something, I go for it because I don't know if it'll be there tomorrow. I like you and I want you. If you don't like me back, I'm ok with that. I'm not trying to pressure you or anything. Can you handle that?"

He grins at her, "I do like you, but I can't read people's auras. How do I know you're not some crazy axe murderer that snares unsuspecting humans and lures them back to your lair?"

Dawn laughs, "I never was very good with an axe; I prefer a broad sword, but I'm not gonna murder you in your sleep or anything and I don't have a lair. I've never killed anyone that wasn't a demon or vampire trying to kill me or my friends."

Travis smiles and reaches for Dawn's hand. He twines her fingers with his and says, "I think I can handle it." He leans in and whispers, "But can we wait on the kissing until Spike's not staring at me? I really don't want him to kill me today. I just met a beautiful woman and I'd like to spend a lot more time with her."

Dawn laughs and says quietly, "You know he can hear you, right? Spike, could you come here?"

Travis sits up wide eyed as I make my way over to the couch. "Yeah, Niblet?"

"Oh, don't act all innocent, Spike. I know you heard everything we said. I like Travis and I'm going to be with him, so please stop freaking him out and threatening to end him, okay? I'm a big girl. Besides, I've had to deal with enough of you and Buffy smoochies, so you can just deal with me and Travis smoochies." Travis blushes again.

I laugh and bend down to give her a kiss on the head. "Ok, Bit, I'll stop. Travis, you've got my blessing and good luck. She's a Summers, so you've got your hands full."

Dawn's fist flies out and punches me in the thigh. "Oi! See what I mean? Summers women tend to punch first and ask questions later." I jump back before she can punch me again.

Buffy walks up behind me and hooks her fingers into the waistband of my jeans. "Giles needs us all over at the table. They've found out how we kill the rabbits."


	38. Ch 38 Bite The Rabbits

Chapter 38 – Bite the Rabbits

(Spike POV)

Wes peers down at his notes and says, "I haven't been able to translate this part of the prophecy exactly, but as far as I can tell, it says that the Slayer and Night Child must each use their prime weapon to kill the Great Evil."

"Excuse me, I have to what?"

Wesley consults his notes, nods then looks up at me and says, "Bite the rabbits."

I jump to my feet, "Bite them? Are you daft? There's nine of the soddin' things! And they're bloody huge! I can drain two, maybe three, but nine?"

Buffy takes my hand and says, "Hold on a minute. Vampires don't drink demon blood. What will their blood do to him? What if it poisons him?"

I squeeze her hand as I sit down. "Pet, vamps don't drink demon blood 'cause it tastes like shite. I don't think it'd hurt me."

Giles says, "I don't think you have to drain them, Spike. You just have to bite them and then Buffy has to stake them."

"We tried stakin' 'em, Watcher. Didn't work."

"Did you use the scythe?"

"Um, no."

"Well, there you have it. Buffy has to wield the scythe and you have to use your fangs."

I sigh, "Great. Does it say where I have to bite 'em?"

Wes frowns, "No, not that I've found, but I would assume that you'd have to bite their neck region being as that's where vampires usually bite."

"So I have to climb up nine bloody huge rabbits and tear their throats out with my teeth while tryin' to avoid being sliced into julienne. Just bloody fabulous. When do we go?"

Connor says, "Can't Willow just freeze them like last time and then you two do your thing?"

Willow shakes her head. "It doesn't work like that. If they touch the rabbit while it's under the spell, then they'd freeze too."

Angel says, "So, you can unfreeze one at a time and Connor and I'll keep it busy while Spike bites it, then Buffy can move in and stake it."

"It's a sound plan, Peaches. When do we go?"

Wes holds up his hand and says, "Calm down, Spike. There's something else to tell you. It concerns Connor."

Connor looks warily at Wes and says, "What about me?"

Wes picks up his notes and scans through them quickly. "Directly following the part of the prophecy regarding the weapons, it mentions the child. It says that the Evil must draw the blood of the child before it can be killed. Ah yes, here it is. The power of the child's blood must break the Evil's hold on the plane before any weapon can kill it."

I throw my head back and growl at the ceiling, "Of course it's blood. It's always blood." I run my hand through my hair and look back at the group. "So Connor has to bleed on it, I have to bite it and Buffy has to stake it. These things are a pain in the bloody arse."

Tammy speaks up, "My husband has to bleed on a rabbit to kill it? Did I hear that right?"

Wes shakes his head, "Not actually bleed _**on**_ it. He has to be bled _**by**_ it. The rabbit has to draw his blood."

Mel snorts, "So what, we hand the rabbit a syringe so it can say to Connor, _hold still, you'll feel a little pinch?_"

Giles smirks and shakes his head. "I doubt very much that the rabbits will get close to Connor. If his blood makes them vulnerable, then they'll most likely avoid him."

Connor nods, "Yeah, the one I was fighting last time kept trying to get away from me."

Willow asks, "But they want to kill him, isn't that what this whole thing's about? Killing the child to plunge this world into a thousand years of darkness?"

Angel frowns, "Yes, but they won't attack him until Spike and Buffy are out of the way. If they die then Connor's blood won't matter because there won't be anyone left to kill them after they're vulnerable."

Travis says, "So we have to immobilize the targets. What about a tranq gun?"

Giles says, "That's a good idea, although I'm afraid a tranquilizer might affect Spike. It's doubtful he can bite them without ingesting at least some of their blood."

"What about a taser?"

I nod. "As long as you've got somethin' like what those soldier boys hit me with back in Sunnydale. Knocked me out right proper, it did."

Travis grins, "We've got tasers that would take down demons twice the size of the ones we're after."

"Will a taser work there?" Buffy asks.

Travis shrugs, "My rifle did, so I would guess that the taser would, too."

Buffy squeezes my hand and says, "So we can get the rabbits down, but how do we get them to draw Connor's blood? How bad to they have to cut him?"

Giles looks through the notes and says, "I don't think it would take much. You can draw blood with a small scratch. Most spells and rituals that require blood usually only call for two or three drops."

"So one of us just uses the rabbit claw to scratch Connor and that'll do it?"

"In theory, yes."

I get to my feet. "Sounds like we've got a plan then. Willow freezes all the rabbits then lets them loose one at a time for Travis to hit. Once it's down, we scratch Connor with a claw, I bite and Buffy stakes. Let's go."

Giles shakes his head, "Perhaps we should all get some rest before we go. It's been a long day and everyone should be fresh."

Angel nods, "Let's meet in the training room tomorrow around noon."

Mel clears her throat, "What about the kids? Do they need to be there this time?"

Giles and Wes look at each other then glance over at Dawn. "I don't think I'll need them to open the portal as long as I'm holding the scythe. I'm not sure, though. Willow told me they were tied to the prophecy, so they might still have to be there."

"So we'll bring 'em. They can stand off to the side like last time." I take Buffy's hand and start for the door. "See you all tomorrow, then."

I snag my duster from the back of the couch and slip into it on the way out the door. Buffy slips her hand back into mine and asks, "Where are we going, Spike?"

I leer down at her curling my tongue behind my teeth. "I'm takin' you up to the flat to have my wicked way with you."

She blushes and I suddenly smell the heady scent of her arousal. She stands on tiptoe and whispers in my ear, "We could just duck into one of these empty rooms."

I quickly feel my pocket to make sure the disk is still there before I shake my head. "We haven't had much luck with empty rooms lately, luv. Seem to keep bein' discovered. 'Sides, I want to take my time and give you a proper seeing to."

She blushes even redder as we hear Dawn cough lightly behind us. "So, the whole talking to each other in your heads thing not working anymore?"

I turn to face Dawn and chuckle, "No, it works fine, Niblet, just didn't realize you were so close behind us. Got other things on my mind, yeah?"

Dawn grins at me, "Yeah, I bet."

Buffy asks, "Where are you staying? Did Angel give you keys to one of the apartments?"

She shakes her head. "No, but I'll be staying in the flat I usually use when I'm here. Don't need keys. I'm the Key, remember?"

Buffy laughs, "Right. See you tomorrow."

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(Dawn POV)

I slip my arm around Travis' waist as we walk down the hall. "So Travis, where do you live?"

He chuckles, "Here, actually. I've been crashing on the couch in the squad room. I haven't had much time to go apartment hunting since I've been in LA."

"Well, that's gotta be uncomfortable. What about all your stuff? Where are you keeping it?"

He laughs, "I'm a single man that just separated from the Army. Everything I own fits in my duffle bag."

"Oh. Well, do you want to stay with me? I'm using a flat down the hall from Buffy's."

He stops and turns to face me, "I've only known you for a few hours and you're already asking me to stay with you? Wow, you do go after what you want. Are you sure?"

I lean into him and whisper in his ear, "Yes I do and yes I am." I nibble gently on his earlobe and nip and lick a trail down his neck then stand back and smile up at him while I trace circles over his chest with my nails. His eyes are dilated and he's breathing fast. He takes my hand and starts walking quickly down the hall toward the elevators.

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(Willow POV)

The TV is still on.

There's eight bodies sprawled on the living room floor amongst pillows and sleeping bags and half-eaten bowls of popcorn. The coffee table is stacked with empty ice cream bowls and cans of soda.

I pick up the stacks of bowls and take them to the kitchen then collect the bowls of popcorn and empty them into the trash. I bring the recycle can into the living room to collect the soda cans then drop it back in the kitchen on my way to the bedroom.

I change into some sweats and grab my pillow and a blanket off the bed and head back out to the living room. Xander is at the edge of the group lying on his side with Jesse snuggled into his chest. Johnny is lying next to Jesse with his pudgy little hand wrapped around Xan's thumb. Lillian is lying on her back in the middle of the floor holding Mimi's hand on one side and Will's hand on the other. Liam is lying near Will with Sophie next to his head, her little fingers tangled in his hair.

I turn off the TV then spread my blanket next to Xander and snuggle up to his back, pulling the blanket over us as I wrap my arm around him. He mumbles something that sounds like, "Love you, Wils."

I gently kiss the back of his neck and whisper, "Love you too, Xan."

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(Travis POV)

I can't believe my luck. I've got a job I love and I've been asked to help the big boss and I haven't even been here two weeks and now I'm making out in an elevator with a stunning woman who's… oh my god…. rubbing me through my jeans. I moan. God, that feels good.

Dawn pushes me back against the wall and slips her hands under my shirt reaching up to scratch her nails over my nipples while she grinds into me. I gasp as she pinches a nipple and pull her close and nip lightly at her neck as I slip one hand under the back of her shirt and unclasp her bra. My other hand slips up her stomach and pushes the material off her breast so I can squeeze it and roll the nipple between my thumb and forefinger. She moans and arches into me just as the elevator stops.

We break apart as the door opens and I pick up her bag and follow her down the hall. She's tall, almost as tall as me with a slender figure and long, long legs. Her soft brown hair falls to her waist and sways slightly as she walks. She stops in front of a door and holds her hand in front of the deadbolt. A soft green light flows from her hand into the lock and I hear it turn. She does the same thing to the doorknob then opens the door and turns to me. "Please come in, Travis."

She steps through the door and I follow her, dropping her bag just inside. She closes the door and leans up to kiss me, tangling her hands in my hair. I wrap my arms around her and kiss along her jaw to her ear. She pulls back and looks at me then closes her eyes and says quietly, "I hope you don't think I'm some major slut for bringing you up here. I don't usually do things like this. I mean, I've never drug some guy I just met up to my room. I just…. it just… feels like I've known you for a long time. I know I told you I go after what I want, but I don't want you to think I'm easy or only interested in you for…. sex."

I shake my head. "I don't think that at all, Dawn. I think you're a strong, beautiful, independent woman and I feel incredibly lucky to be here with you, but if this is too fast for you then I don't have to stay. I can go back down to the squad room and we can take this slow."

She bites her lower lip and leans her head on my chest then whispers, "Thank you, Travis."

I give her a squeeze then let her go and reach behind me for the doorknob. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

I turn around to open the door and her arms snake around me and pull me close. She presses into my back then slips her hands under my shirt to rub my chest, resting her chin on my shoulder. "Don't go."

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(Melinda POV)

I've got my hand down the front of his pants squeezing and stroking while I lick and suck on his nipples. He's leaning against the wall of our private elevator moaning and growling low in his chest. The elevator stops and I step back, crushing one of his shirt buttons into the carpet. I tangle my hands in the torn fabric and pull him out of the elevator, leading him to the bedroom. I strip the shirt off him then unbuckle his belt and pop the button of his pants. I slowly unzip his pants as he unbuttons my shirt and pushes it off my shoulders. I let the shirt fall and gasp as he takes a nipple in his mouth and suckles. I tangle my fingers in his hair and pull him closer. He pushes my pants down over my hips as he kneels in front of me kissing down my stomach.

I step out of my pants and he raises my leg and drapes it over his shoulder then leans in licking and sucking. I grip his hair and moan, "Angel, Oh God!"

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(Connor POV)

The apartment is beautiful. We almost didn't have to bring anything with us. It's fully furnished right down to the knick knacks on the fireplace mantle. Mimi's room is pink. Everything. Pink wallpaper, pink furniture, pink bedding. Pink. "What do you think, Tam?"

She smiles, "I like it. It's a beautiful apartment and I love that I won't have to cook if I don't want to. Isn't Mimi's room just the cutest?"

I smirk, "Yeah, but that's a lot of pink. Looks like the Pepto Bismol factory blew up in there."

Tammy giggles, "Well, it is her favorite color." She turns to me and wraps her arms around me squeezing me tight. "Con, I'm worried about you fighting those rabbits. I don't like that you'll have to be cut by them."

I wrap my arms around her. "I'll be fine, Tam. I'm part vampire, remember? I have all the strengths and none of the weaknesses of a Master. Now we know why I never got sick and why I healed so fast after I accidentally stuck those gardening shears in my leg that time."

She buries her face in my chest, "I guess, but I still don't like it."

"Angel, Spike and Buffy won't let anything happen to me, baby. They're all as strong or stronger than me, plus with Travis and Willow helping out, we'll be ok."

She squeezes me again and whispers into my chest, "If you say so. I just don't want to lose you, Con."

I gently kiss the top of her head, "You won't."

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(Spike POV)

We barely make it inside the flat before she's pushing the duster off my shoulders and pulling my shirt over my head. She kicks her shoes off as I kick the door closed and lift her up. She wraps her legs around my waist and starts biting and sucking on my neck as I carry her into the bedroom.

I set her on her feet next to the bed and unbutton her shirt then kiss across her collar bone as I push the shirt off her shoulders. I feather kisses down her arm following the shirt as I drop to my knees in front of her and slip my fingers into the waistband of her pants. I slip them over her hips and down her legs then lift each foot and pull them off.

I stand up and step back taking in the sight before me. "So beautiful, pet."

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(Giles POV)

"Oh Dear Lord."

"What is it, Rupert? What did you find?"

"According to this, Spike apparently does have to drain the rabbits."

"Well, that's unexpected, but I'm sure..."

"That's not everything, Wesley."

"What else?"

"The demon's blood will kill him."


	39. Ch 39 What's The What

Chapter 39 – What's The What

(Spike POV)

"Buffy, what happened to your neck?" Dawn smiles as she walks over to Buffy.

Buffy gently touches my mark then looks Dawn over, "Probably the same thing that happened to yours, only with fangs." She leans in close to Dawn and whispers, "So, did you have a good time last night?"

Dawn looks over at Travis, "Oh yeah, and let me just say…Wow."

Mel walks over with a grin, "What's wow?"

Dawn licks her lips, "Travis."

Buffy elbows Dawn then nods at Mel, "Seems like our neck thing is going around. Mel's got it, too."

Mel looks over Buffy and Dawn then fingers Angel's mark and laughs, "Yeah, must be an epidemic."

Travis whispers to me, "What are they talking about?"

I grin at him, "Our marks on their necks, oh and Niblet said you're _wow_."

Travis blushes and looks at Angel walking toward us rubbing his wrists.

I chuckle, "What's wrong with your wrists, Peaches?"

He grins and looks at Melinda then mumbles, "Handcuffs."

I laugh, "So when's the new headboard bein' delivered?"

Travis grins at Angel, "Headboard?"

Angel looks sheepish, "Tomorrow."

I laugh and clap Angel and Travis on the back. "Sounds like we all had a good night."

Connor walks into the training room and heads for us. "Are we ready to fight some rabbits?"

I nod. "I am. I'm always up for a spot of violence. Where's your bird?"

"She's getting us unpacked and watching Willow's kids. Of course, Mimi is actually _taking care_ of the babies. Tammy's just there to heat up the bottles and change the diapers because Mimi says it's gross."

I chuckle, "Yeah, I sure don't miss nappy duty. Bug was a champion at blowin' out his nappy. Usually when Buffy was out. It's like she knew when a storm was brewin' and suddenly had _Slayer business_ to attend to."

Harris walks up while I'm speaking and laughs, "You should have seen him, Connor. One day I walked in just as Will let loose. The Big Bad here was covered in baby poop. It was hilarious. I called him William the Poopy for months after that."

Everyone bursts out laughing and I snarl at Harris which just makes them laugh harder. The girls walk over and Buffy asks, "What's so funny?"

Harris snorts, "William the Poopy."

Everyone starts laughing as I smack him upside the head, "Watch it, whelp or I'll turn you into a minion."

He grins as he rubs the back of his head, "Yeah, but my wife will turn you into a toad."

Willow walks up and asks, "Who am I turning into a toad?"

"Spike."

She looks confused, "Why?"

I grin at her, "Don't worry about it, Red. We're just havin' a bit of fun."

She nods. "Oh. Has anyone seen Giles or Wesley? They weren't in their apartments."

Connor says, "They were still in the conference room when Tammy and I left last night. Maybe they went back down this morning."

Buffy starts for the door. "I'll go check."

"How's Tammy gettin' on, Connor? Feelin' a bit better about things?"

He nods, "Yeah, she's doing better today. She's pretty worried about me having to get cut by the rabbits, but I told her you guys wouldn't let anything happen to me."

"We won't."

"I hope not, for your sake. She made me show her exactly how to stake a vampire just in case."

* _Spike, can you bring everyone to the conference room? Giles says we have a problem. *_

* _Sure, pet. Be there in a few._ *

"Giles needs us all in the conference room. Seems we have another problem."

XXXXX

XXXXX

(Spike POV)

"So what's the what, G-man?" Harris practically bellows as we walk into the conference room.

Giles slowly removes his glasses and pinches the bridge of his nose then says quietly, "How many times have I asked you not to call me that?"

Harris mumbles, "Sorry, Giles. So what's the problem?"

He nods to the empty chairs surrounding the table. "Everyone please sit down." Once we're all seated he puts his glasses back on then picks up his notes and starts speaking softly, "We've translated more of the prophecy and what we've found is not good. Not good at all."

Buffy gently places a hand on his arm, "What is it, Giles?"

He smiles weakly at her. "We were wrong about Spike not having to drink from the rabbits. I translated a passage that states the foe must drink of the demon until its heart ceases to beat. Only then will the blow from the Slayer kill it."

I shrug, "So I have to drink demon blood. It's not that bad, Rupes. It's disgustin' and will probably give me indigestion, but I can do it."

Giles sighs as he removes his glasses and pinches the bridge of his nose again. "The fact that you are able to drink demon blood is not the point, Spike. The prophecy says the blood will kill you."

"It'll kill me? How? I've fed from demons before, Rupert. Their blood is nasty but it isn't harmful."

Giles closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, "The prophecy expounds at length regarding the blood killing the foe, but what it boils down to is the blood of the demon is too powerful to be contained within a human vessel."

Buffy frowns and shakes her head. "Spike's not human."

Giles looks up at her, "The demon in residence does afford him some special abilities and extra strength but his body is essentially human."

Buffy twines her fingers with mine and squeezes my hand hard enough to make me wince. "There's got to be some other way or something we can do."

Giles shakes his head, "I don't think so, Buffy. Wesley and I have been down here all night translating and looking for anything in the prophecy that would contradict this and we've found nothing. Ingesting the demon's blood will kill Spike."

Buffy glares at him and growls out, "I did not save him from the Hellmouth just to lose him now to this stupid prophecy!"

Angel says quietly, "That's probably why the Powers had you save him then. Because he was needed for this."

She jumps to her feet, her face a mask of raw fury. "I don't give a fuck what the Powers want! I'm not losing him!"

Giles stands and gently touches her arm, "Buffy, the world as we know it will end if…."

She violently shakes his hand off and screams, "Fuck the Powers and fuck the world! I'm not letting them take him away from me or Bug!"

I tug on the hand still gripping mine and she turns to face me. "Buffy, luv, I'm not worth the entire world."

She bursts into tears and drops into my lap wrapping her arms around me. She buries her face in my neck and whispers, "Yes, you are. I'll die without you."

I wrap my arms around her and start purring low in my chest trying to calm her. "You won't die, pet. You're immortal, remember? You're strong and you'll go on living."

She shakes her head, "If I lose you, I'll let myself die. I don't want to be immortal if I have to be alone."

"You won't be. You've got Bug. He needs you, Buffy. When I'm gone, you'll be all he has." She buries her face in my neck and sobs quietly. I nuzzle against her neck then clear my throat and say, "We'll have to change the plan up a bit, yeah?"

Angel says, "How so?"

"Well, I obviously can't drain nine rabbits of all their blood and we don't know how long I'll have before the blood... affects me, so we'll have to get 'em all down at the same time and get 'em bleedin'. Then we wait until they've almost bled out and I'll finish 'em off. Hopefully I can get through 'em all before..." Buffy starts sobbing loudly and tightens her grip on me.

Dawn wipes the tears coursing down her face and says angrily, "This is such bullshit. Who the hell do the Powers think they are anyway? What gives them the right to do this to people? If they're so damn powerful, why can't they just fix it so the blood won't hurt Spike?"

Willow frowns and starts to stand then drops back into her chair. "Hold on. I think I remember reading…." She stands again and starts for the door. "Hold on. I'll be back."

XXXXX

XXXXX

(Spike POV)

No one's said anything since Willow left and Buffy's still sobbing into my neck. She's holding me so tight that if I needed to breathe, I'd have suffocated already. Niblet is crying quietly into Travis' chest and everyone else is sitting and staring off into space.

I'm supposed to die to save the world. Again. What the bloody fuck do the Powers have against me anyway? I know I was an evil bastard for more than a century, but I think I've made up for at least some of it. Been doin' their bloody bidding for the last decade or so. I know it's not a lot of time considerin' how long I've lived, but at least I'm makin' the effort. I would've died in the Hellmouth, willingly and without reservation, but they jerked me outta there and let Buffy and I be together just to kill me and crush her. And what about Bug? Give me a little piece of heaven then cruelly rip it away.

I don't wanna die, at least not like this, killed by the very thing that's supposed to keep me among the living. Dustin' in a fair fight I can stomach, but a vampire killed by blood? That's just wrong on so many levels and as much as I hate to admit it…. I'm scared…. but I need to be strong for Buffy or she's going to lose it. I haven't shown it. I'm trying to act calm and like I've accepted my fate and I'm doing my level best to keep it from Buffy, but…. I'm terrified.

Soddin' Powers and their bloody prophecies. You know, I hope you useless gits can hear me. You know everythin', right? Well know this. Buffy doesn't deserve this. She's spent her life fightin' your fight and even died twice for you ungrateful sods and now that she's finally happy and content with her life you're gonna rip that away from her. Niblet's right. This is complete bullshit.

I'm pulled out of my silent rant against the Powers by Willow walking quickly into the room. She drops a large dusty book on the table and flips it open to a marked page and says, "Buffy, I think I can do something."

Buffy sits up and swipes her sleeve across her face. "What, Wils?"

"There's this charm. A protection charm. It's dark magic which I usually don't get into, but I remembered reading about it when I was researching something else."

Harris frowns, "Wils, is it safe for you to use dark magic? Won't you go all black hair and Dark Willow again?"

Willow shakes her head. "It's just a potion, Xan. I don't have to really use much power to make it work. My hair should stay the same color it is now."

Dawn leans forward and peers at the book, "Why is there a protection charm that's dark magic? I though protection stuff was more of a white magic thing."

"Usually it is, but this charm is used for fighting. Dark magic against dark magic. It's supposed to ward against evil magic and evil power. I can mix up this potion and have Spike drink most of it, then put the rest into a pendant for him to wear. The pendant will stop any spells from being cast against him, not that the rabbits are magical or anything, and the potion should stop anything he drinks from having too much of an effect on him."

"You think it'll work?"

"I don't know if it'll protect him completely, if the blood is as powerful as Giles says, but hopefully it'll just make him sick and not dead…er."

Mel asks, "Couldn't he just regurgitate the blood after he drinks it? Get it out of his system that way?"

Willow nods, "Yeah, that might help. The power in the blood will probably start to affect him as soon as he comes into contact with it, but puking it back up might lessen the damage."

"Wouldn't I just be puking up your mojo potion, too?"

She shakes her head, "No. It gets absorbed into your system. Basically, you'll be protected inside and out."

Giles stands, "What do you need?"


	40. Ch 40 The Monitor Beeps

Chapter 40 – The Monitor Beeps

(Spike POV)

I look at the thick, oily, purple smoke rising from the large bowl sitting on the table in front of me then look up at Willow. "You're sure? This is what it's supposed to look…. and smell like? I've smelled rotting corpses that didn't stink this bad."

"Ok…. ewww…. and yes, I followed the instructions exactly. It's doing what the book said it would. We've got to wait a little while for it to be absorbed fully, so bottoms up."

"I have to drink all of this? The whole bowlful?"

"Uh huh. I've already pulled out what I need for the pendant." She holds up a thick chain with a somewhat large crystal dangling from it. The crystal is full of swirling purple sparks and looks like it's vibrating. I reach out to take it from her and she jerks it back. "Nope. You can't touch this until after you drink the potion. Once the potion is absorbed, the pendant locks it or seals it or something. Anyway, the potion won't wear off until you take off the pendant."

"What about my talisman? Shouldn't it heal whatever damage the bunny blood'll do to me?"

Willow's brow furrows in concentration as she slowly shakes her head. "I don't know, Spike. The blood will be inside you and as far as we know, the talisman only heals external damage. I suppose it could but…"

"It healed my seed when it was inside Buffy."

Willow blushes and stammers, "Um…. yeah…. but…. um…. where your…. um…. seed was…. it…"

Giles clears his throat from the research table, "Your seed in Buffy's womb and demon blood infused throughout your body are two entirely different things. I don't think the talisman will work, Spike. As I've said, the prophecy is quite clear on how the blood will affect the foe. If the talisman was able to counteract those effects, I'm sure the prophecy would have mentioned it. Suffice it to say, I wouldn't count on it."

"Right. So I'll just drink this down then, shall I?" I pick up the bowl and bring it to my lips bracing myself for the horrible taste. I take a sip and swish it around my mouth a bit. It's warm and feels a bit... thick, like an Irish stout. Of course, Irish beer doesn't usually taste like grape soda, but all in all, not bad.

I take a few long pulls then look up at Willow and smile before I finish off the bowl. I plonk it back down on the table then lean back and rub my belly. "Not bad at all, Red. Wouldn't want to drink it all the time, but s'not bad."

She giggles at me and points to my lip. "You've got a mustache."

I swipe my hand across my lip and get to my feet. "So what now? How do I know when it's been absorbed?"

"You should start feeling the effects soon. When they seem to be at peak power, then you put on the pendant and we're ready to go."

"What're the effects?"

"Um, the book doesn't really say. All it said was that it varies based on what species consumes it. Guess we'll have to wait and see what happens."

I walk over to the couch and flop down on my back resting my feet on the arm. "Alright then, I'll be here, waitin' to see what happens. This better not turn me into a toad or somethin', Red."

"It shouldn't." She walks over to the door and opens it wide. "It's done and inside him and nothing blew up!"

Harris walks back into the room and smirks at me, "Well, not yet, anyway."

I sit up, my eyes wide. "Oi! What d'you mean **not yet**? Is that stuff gonna make me explode, Red?"

She frowns and looks at the book again, "I don't think so. It doesn't say that it's good for blowing up vampires. Guess we'll just have to wait and see."

Buffy drops down on the couch and pushes me back down then lies across my chest with her head on my shoulder. "She's kidding, Spike. Willow hasn't blown anything up in a long time."

I wrap my arms around her and whisper, "Well, that's good to know. You doin' better?"

I feel her nod against my shoulder. "Yeah, a little. I hope this charm thingie works. I love you and I don't want to lose you."

"I don't wanna die either, pet, but if my death'll save the world, then I have to do it. I'd rather die than let you and Bug and everyone else die."

She doesn't say anything, just wraps her arms around me and squeezes. Suddenly she sits up and rucks my t-shirt up to my neck then puts her hands flat on my stomach and chest. "Uh Wils? He's warm. I mean, like really warm. Is he supposed to be?"

She nods, "Probably. The book wasn't specific about what the effects would be. They're different for different species. Vampires are usually the same temperature as their surroundings, so him being warm probably shows the potion is being absorbed."

"How much warmer do I need to get 'fore I put the pendant on, 'cause I'm startin' to feel it now."

Buffy looks at me with a worried expression, "Is it hurting you?'

I shake my head, "No pet, it doesn't hurt. It's just…. well, I haven't felt this warm since I was human. I mean by myself, without somethin' or someone warmin' me."

Mel walks over and presses her wrist to my forehead. "You don't feel like you have a temperature, well, for a vampire you do, but I'll go get a thermometer and we'll monitor you."

I nod then close my eyes and try to relax. I can feel Buffy's hands on my torso and they feel cool. It's odd. Usually she feels warm when she touches me, hot even, like she could burn me.

I hear something roll up next to the couch and open my eyes to Mel reaching toward me with a small gray square of plastic attached to the monitor sitting next to me. She lifts my arm and sticks the square to my side just below my armpit then pushes a button on the monitor. After a few seconds it beeps and I look at the number. 99.1. "Well, according to human standards, you have a slight fever. We have to add a degree because of the placement of the pad, so your temp is 100.1. Nothing to get alarmed at yet, I guess. The monitor will take your temp every 30 seconds."

"Thanks, Mel." I close my eyes again and just lay there listening to all the humans breathing.

I hear Travis moving away toward the table then back toward the couch with a chair. He sits down in it then takes a breath. "So what do we do now?" Dawn walks over and sits in his lap.

The monitor beeps. 102.4.

Willow pulls a chair up next to him and plops down into it then says, "Wait."

The rest of the group all pull up chairs around the couch and sit down.

The monitor beeps. 103.6.

I can feel their eyes on me and it's starting to make me nervous. I open my eyes and look around. "See anythin' green?"

Harris chuckles, "Thought you liked being the center of attention, Fang Boy."

The monitor beeps. 104.2.

I give him the two finger salute and close my eyes again. Buffy lays back down on my chest and places a gentle kiss to my neck.

Travis clears his throat and says, "Spike, can I ask you something?"

The monitor beeps. 105.8.

I nod without opening my eyes, "Sure, mate. Not guaranteeing I'll answer you, but ask away."

"Ok, what's up with your... accent?"

I open my eyes and lift my head to look at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well, sometimes when you speak you sound like Giles and Wesley and sometimes you... don't."

I laugh, "Noticed that, didja?"

The monitor beeps. 106.7.

Giles nods, "I've noticed it as well, Spike. Everything I've read about your human life suggests you were a commoner, a laborer, if you will, so I'm curious as to where your refined speech comes from."

"Everything you've read about my human life is wrong, Watcher. I wasn't a common laborer; I was actually an upper class gentleman. I graduated top of my class from Cambridge and was working in a bank when I was turned."

Giles looks surprised. "You went to Cambridge?"

The monitor beeps. 107.5.

"Yes. I attended Eton as well. I'm actually quite well educated."

Travis asks, "So why do you speak so differently from Giles and Wesley?"

I laugh again. "I'm average height and build for an Englishman from the Victorian era. Now picture me with William's hair and speaking like Giles. If I approached you like that, even with the fangs, would you be even a little bit afraid of me?"

The monitor beeps. 108.9

Travis looks thoughtful for a minute and then chuckles, "No, probably not."

Giles asks, "So you adopted a lower-class workingman's speech pattern to make yourself seem more fearsome?"

I chuckle, "Well, that, and Angelus didn't exactly care for anythin' upper class and tended to pound on me when I spoke with that accent, so I adapted. You should've heard him when I was first turned. He had an Irish brogue so thick I could only make out about every third word. Everythin' was _boyo_ this or _feckin_ that."

The monitor beeps. 109.5

Everyone looks at Angel and he smiles, "Ye best be watchin' how ye speak to yer feckin Grand-sire me boyo."

Mel laughs, "That doesn't even sound like you. You used to talk like that all the time?"

He shrugs, "I'm Irish. Took me a while to get rid of the accent."

I chuckle, "He still slips into it on occasion when he's right pissed."

The monitor beeps. 110.3

Mel frowns, "He's never talked like that when he's angry, at least not that I've heard."

Giles, Wes and I all laugh at the same time then I shake my head, "Pissed is an English colloquialism meaning drunk for all the colonials in the room."

Buffy pokes me in the ribs, "I'm not a colonial, I'm an American, thank you very much."

The monitor beeps. 111.5

Mel looks at the monitor and asks, "How are you feeling, Spike?"

"Feel fine, just a bit warm."

"Do you have a headache or do you feel dizzy or nauseous?"

"No. Just feel warm."

"You do realize that if you were fully human, you'd be dead now, or at the very least, irreversibly brain damaged."

"Yeah."

The monitor beeps. 111.9.

Giles asks, "Spike, you said you were an upper-class gentleman. Why were you working in a bank? From the history I've read, gentlemen didn't work."

I shrug, "Didn't want to be a useless society sod. My family wasn't exactly wealthy, but we were what you would consider comfortably well off. I didn't have to work, but I wanted to."

Buffy sits up and smirks at me, "So you're rich and you never told me?"

I laugh, "I'm not rich, luv. Angel won't give me my share of the Aurelian estate."

The monitor beeps. 112.0.

Angel chuckles, "You're still a kid, Spike. We'll talk when you hit two hundred. What about your family's money? What happened to it?"

"Don't know. I would imagine that after my boatload of cousins found out my Mum and I were gone they clamped onto anythin' worth more than a ha'pence."

"I could have the firm look into it, see if there's any kind of inheritance."

I shrug, "Up to you, Angel. I doubt you'll find anythin', but you're welcome to try."

"Spike, I hope you know that if you don't come out of this, Buffy and William will be well taken care of. I'll make sure of it."

The monitor beeps. 112.0.

I nod, "I know, Angel. Thanks."

Mel says, "Looks like your temperature has stopped climbing."

Willow leans over and hands me the pendant. "Here you go, Spike. Put this on and we're ready to go."


	41. Ch 41 Mojo's Cookin'

Chapter 41 – Mojo's Cookin'

(Spike POV)

Buffy walks into the recently cleaned and repaired training room carrying the scythe as I'm strapping a dagger to my thigh. She looks around and asks, "Where's the kids?"

"I called up to the flat, they're on their way down. Oh, Bug told me we're gonna need a new lamp in the livin' room."

"Why? What happened to the one we had?"

"Liam."

She laughs, "Let me guess, got a little too excited playing video games?"

I smile and nod. She walks over and wraps her arms around me. "How are you doing, Spike?"

I nuzzle against her hair. "I'm ok, pet. You?"

She thumps her forehead against my chest and sighs, "Ok, I guess. I'm trying not to think about what might happen because every time I think of you dying I just want to collapse."

"I'm sure I'll be fine, luv. Red's mojo is cookin' and I feel good."

Angel walks in followed by the kids. "We ready to go?"

I nod. "I'm good. Looks like everyone's here…. Wait…. where's Niblet and Travis?"

Angel leaves the room again with a scowl on his face.

Bug walks up to us and gathers us together in a hug. "Hi parents, haven't seen you guys in a while."

I chuckle as Buffy gives him a squeeze and kisses his cheek. "Hi Bug."

He backs up and looks me up and down then asks, "Dad, you feeling ok?"

"Yeah. Why?"

He frowns up at me, "You're warm. You're never warm. What's going on?"

I wrap my arm over his shoulders. "Come over here and sit down for a mo', yeah?"

The frown on his face changes quickly to a worried scowl. "Ok, now I know something's wrong."

We take a seat on the weapons chest and Buffy stands behind Bug with her hands on his shoulders. I take a deep breath as I look into my son's eyes. "Bug, there's somethin' you should know about the fight today. The prophecy says I have to drink the rabbit's blood."

He shrugs, "So? You're a vampire, Dad. You drink blood all the time."

I nod, "Yeah, but the prophecy also says that the demon's blood is so powerful it'll kill me." I hold up my hand to let him know there's more I need to say but his eyes go wide and he flies at me wrapping me in his arms.

"It'll kill you? Then you can't go! You have to stay here!"

I push him back so I can look at him, "I have to go, Bug, but Willow made me a protection potion that should keep the blood from killin' me. That's why I'm warm."

He squeaks in an outraged voice. "_Should_? **Should** keep it from killing you? She's not sure it'll work?"

"Not totally, but as sure as she can be. I love you and I have to do this to protect you and your Mum. If I don't play my part in the prophecy then the world'll end and we'll all die and I'm gonna do my level best to keep that from happenin'. I don't want to die, Bug, but if I have to, I will. You and your Mum are worth it. If I do, I need you to promise me that you'll take care of your Mum."

Tears spill down Bug's cheeks and he wraps me in a fierce hug and sobs into my chest. "I'll take care of her, Dad. I love you."

I hold him for a few minutes until he calms down somewhat then whisper into his hair, "Love you too, Bug, and you've made me very proud." He gives me a squeeze then sits up and wipes his face as he gets up and walks over to the twins. He explains what's going on and Lillian wraps him in a tight hug, whispering into his hair as Liam rests his hand on Bug's shoulder.

Angel walks back into the training room followed by Travis and Dawn. He glances at the kids then looks over at me and we both nod. Travis is blushing and walks over to the corner then stands there looking at Dawn. She smiles at him and he blushes even deeper. I get up and walk over to stand next to Travis. "What's goin' on?"

He looks down at the floor and mutters, "Angel caught us."

I smirk, "Caught you? Where?"

"Uh… the armory. I was looking for a gun. Dawn was helping me."

"Did she find... your gun?" I lift my eyebrow and smirk at him as he figures out what I'm asking.

He blushes such a deep red I'm afraid his head's gonna explode. "Yeah, she found it."

"And then Angel found you."

"Yeah."

I chuckle and clap him on the back. "No need to be embarrassed, Travis. Angel's a vampire. A very old vampire. Believe me, it's nothin' he hasn't seen before. You should've seen it when it was just the four of us tearin' through Europe. The things we... um, never mind. What I'm tryin' to get at is…. it's fine, Travis. Really."

He shoots a sideways glance at me then looks back down at the floor. "Dawn said that it was lucky you didn't catch us. Something about railroad spikes and tearing my throat out."

I laugh. "I wouldn't have done anythin' to you, Travis. Well, I might've pretended I was goin' to. You're a lot of fun to mess about."

He looks up at me in surprise then tilts his head, "What about all that stuff about ending me if I hurt her?"

I chuckle, "I was warnin' you about breakin' 'er heart, I'm not concerned with who she shags. She's an adult and more than old enough to do what... and who she wants. If you're only in this for the shaggin', though, you need to let her know that before she gets too attached."

He shakes his head. "No, I'm not just in it for that. I really like her and I think we could really have something, it's just moving kind of fast for me."

"Well buckle up, Travis. With that girl you're in for a hell of a ride."

He breaks into a huge grin, "She's worth it, though."

"Yeah, she is. So what gun were you after?"

He holds up a large rifle, "A .50 cal. You said you needed the rabbits to bleed and we can't cut anything off or we just make more rabbits, so I picked this."

I nod. "Good choice. Big bullets make big holes. What about the taser?"

"I've got three guns with six cartridges for each. Should be enough, I hope."

Angel claps his hands, "Okay, now that we're all here, let's get set and get going."

Dawn takes the scythe from Buffy and lies down in the middle of the floor. "Everyone sit down around me and make sure you're touching me or you won't go through."

We all sit down around Dawn and reach out a hand to touch her. Buffy asks from her spot near Dawn's feet. "How are we gonna get back? Somebody gonna cut their arm again?"

Dawn shakes her head, "No, when we're done, I'll just bring us back."

"Right then. Let's go, Niblet."

XXXXX

XXXXX

(Spike POV)

Soddin' grass. God, I hate this place. I jump up and scan around while the others get to their feet. "Don't see anythin' yet. Smell somethin' over that direction. Let's go."

We jog off through the grass with Angel and me taking the lead and quickly come to the last battle site. There's several patches of trampled grass and a lot of blood soaked into the ground. I look off in the distance and see a line of dark figures slowly moving toward us.

I nudge Angel, "D'you see what I do?"

He nods, "Yeah. There's a lot more than nine."

"Bloody hell. We're completely buggered, aren't we?"

"Looks like. What do you want to do?"

I sigh and run my hand through my hair. "Guess we should get one of 'em down and see if Red's potion works. If it doesn't then it won't matter how many of 'em there are."

"Yeah."

I turn to face the group gathering behind us. "Right then. There's a lot more rabbits than we were countin' on, so Harris and Bit, I need you to take the kids and get as far away from here as you can."

Dawn shakes her head, "How will you get back?"

"If any of us make it through this, we'll find you. Now go, please." The twins launch themselves at Angel and wrap him in a tight hug while Bug grabs Buffy's hand and leads her over to me to wrap us both up. Willow clutches Xander and peppers his face with kisses while Dawn and Travis stand holding hands with their foreheads pressed together. I squeeze Bug and kiss the top of his head. "Love you, William."

He squeezes me and murmurs into my chest, "Love you, too, Dad." He kisses Buffy on the cheek and whispers, "Love ya, Mum." then walks over to join the twins. Dawn takes the twin's hands and Harris wraps his arm around Bug's shoulders as they start walking through the grass. We all stand and watch until they're nothing but small black spots.

We turn to face the rabbits again and everyone but Angel and I gasp when they see how many there are. Buffy grabs my hand, "How the hell did there get to be so many?"

Travis stares at the ground and mumbles, "I think it's my fault. When I blew that rabbit's head off there were bits of it flying everywhere. I must have made all those rabbits."

I look at him. "It's not your fault, mate. We didn't know all the bitty bits would make new rabbits. Nothin' to be done about it now anyway, so don't fret about it."

Connor's staring at the line of rabbits with wide eyes. "How many do you think there are?"

Angel scowls, "I stopped counting at fifty."

Willow points, "Look, there's one way out in front of the rest. Should we start with that one?"

I nod. "Sounds like a plan, Red. Can you freeze the rest of them?"

She frowns, "I don't know. That's a lot of rabbits."

"Well, do what you can. Travis, you ready?"

"Yeah."

We wait hunkered down in the grass until the lead rabbit is in range of the taser then Buffy and Angel circle around behind it as Travis fires. The taser prongs embed deeply into the rabbit's chest and it starts jerking violently and screams as it falls to the ground. Buffy darts in and slices her dagger across its neck as Angel steps up and slices it across its arm and leg on one side. I step in and slice quickly across its arm and leg on the other side then turn to Connor. "Let's get you cut and see if this is gonna work."

He moves closer and the rabbit's eyes start rolling wildly in its head. The other rabbits all stop suddenly and just stand in the grass like a bunch of soddin' statues. I look up at Willow. "Good job on the freezin', Red. You've got 'em held up right nice."

She shakes her head. "It's not me. Nothing's working. I've tried every binding spell I know and none of them have worked."

I stand and stare at the line of motionless rabbits. "Well isn't that just bleedin' fabulous. You know, if I ever get to meet the soddin' Powers, I'm gonna wring their scrawny necks."

Connor steps up next to the prone rabbit and takes hold of a massive paw. The rabbit screams and struggles to sit up. I jerk Connor back from the erratically waving claw and shout. "Travis, hit it again!"

Travis releases the spent cartridge and slams a fresh one home then says, "Stand back." We all take a step back as he fires. The rabbit jerks and twitches then falls back into the grass.

"Let's get this done, yeah? The taser doesn't seem to hold 'em for very long."

Connor steps up again and quickly grabs the paw then slides his forearm across the tip of the largest claw. Blood immediately wells up along the cut and all the rabbits start screaming and waving their claws. Angel, Connor and I all fall to the ground clutching our heads and screaming right along with them.

Buffy runs over to me and pulls me to my feet then shouts in my ear. "You've got to bite it, Spike. I think it's almost bled out." She drags me over to the rabbit's head and helps me kneel beside it. My brain feels like there's a white hot stake being shoved slowly into each ear. I can barely focus as I look at the blood flowing slowly out of the cut Buffy made. I lean over and press my ear to the rabbit's chest because I can't hear fuck all over the bloody screaming. I barely make out the low thumping of its heart. I plug my other ear and try to listen harder. Now I hear it. Its heart is slowing and starting to stutter.

I drop back to my knees beside its neck and turn its head to get better access. * _Ok, pet, here I go. Please let this work._ * I release my demon then lean down and sink my fangs deep into its neck. The thick fur tickles my throat and almost makes me gag. I start pulling blood from the wound and swallow the first mouthful. * _Gah, this shite is nasty. Burns, too._ * I pull another mouthful and swallow it down trying to get this done quickly and not retch until the rabbit is completely drained.

I pull mouthful after mouthful. How much blood is in this soddin' thing? I pull away and spit out the last mouthful then lean back over to listen to its heart. The rabbits are still screaming, but it doesn't sound quite as loud. I glance over at Angel and Connor. They're still rolling around clutching their heads so I must be going deaf. Wonderful.

I press one ear to its chest and clamp my hand over the other one straining to hear. Nothing. I lean over and look at the cut on its neck. The blood seems to have stopped flowing. I turn to Buffy still standing behind me * _Go ahead and hit it, pet. I think its heart's stopped._ * I move a few steps away and lean over then stick my fingers down my throat to get the blood to come back up. Tastes worse on the return trip.

As I'm puking into the grass, Buffy steps up to the rabbit's side and raises the scythe above her head then brings it down in a powerful blow, burying the stake end halfway in its chest. She steps back and spins as the screaming turns to roaring.

The rabbits start moving toward us roaring and snarling. Angel and Connor stagger to their feet shaking their heads and turn to face them. I get to my feet and wobble a little until Buffy puts an arm out to steady me. * _Can you fight?_ *

* _Not sure, pet, but I'm gonna bloody well try._ *

* _What's the blood doing to you?_ *

* _Can't see very well and feel like I'm gonna pass out._ *

The first few rabbits reach Angel and Connor and they step forward swinging their swords. Two rabbits go down missing their heads. The bodies slump to the ground and the heads fly off into the grass.

* _Luv, is it getting dark?_ * I drop to my knees and fall forward catching myself on wobbly arms. * _Buffy?_ *

"Spike!" She drops to my side and pulls me back to lean against her. * _Spike, what's wrong?_ *

* _Can't see. It's dark._ * I barely feel her holding me. * _Love you, Buf..._ *


	42. Ch 42 Least I'm Not Dust

Chapter 42 – Least I'm Not Dust

(Travis POV)

The screaming feels like it's turning my brain to mush. Spike's drinking from the rabbit, looking like he's about to puke the whole time, but at least the rabbit has stopped trying to move. He leans up to listen to its heart then does puke as Buffy stakes it. As soon as she does, the rabbits start roaring. It's a little easier on the ears, but it's still way too loud.

Angel and Connor get back up and Buffy helps to steady Spike. I holster the taser and swing my rifle around to take aim at the rabbits.

The first two rabbits go down under Angel and Connor's swords then Spike collapses. Buffy drops down to hold him as the rabbits get closer. I step forward and I'm about to yell at Angel and Connor to get out of the way when the staked rabbit suddenly dissolves into some kind of slime. The scythe falls over with a loud plop. Well, it probably would have been loud if I could have heard it over the roaring.

"Buffy! Look at the rabbit!"

She turns with a tear-stained face and her eyes get huge. She shouts, "What happened?"

I shout back, "I don't know. One minute it was there and the next it's... that." The roaring gets louder, if that's even possible, and we both look up at the line of slowly moving rabbits. They've stopped moving again and are just standing there roaring and waving their claws.

Angel turns around and sees Spike on the ground and rushes over to him. "Buffy, what happened?"

She sobs, "I don't know! He said it was getting dark and then he just passed out."

Angel looks Spike over then puts his hand gently on her back and shouts, "He'll be fine, Buffy. He's just unconscious." He squats down next to Spike as he shifts into game face and uses a fang to slice his wrist open then presses it to Spike's lips. The blood flows into his mouth and he massages Spike's throat to get him to swallow. "Sire's blood. The blood of his line. It won't heal him completely, but it will help until we can get him to Mel."

Buffy looks at Angel and shouts, "Should I give him some of my blood? Would it help?"

Angel shakes his head. "Not yet, Buffy. Mel's gonna have to drain him completely to get the demon blood out of him. Then you and I will use our blood to replace what he's lost."

I frown, "Won't completely draining him kill him?"

Angel shakes his head again. "No, vampires can survive for a while without any blood. Buffy, can you feel him?"

She closes her eyes for a minute then nods, "Yeah, it feels kinda the same as when he's asleep. Is he really going to be ok?"

Angel nods, "He should be fine, Buffy."

Willow shouts, "Um…. guys?"

I look over at her and she points towards the rabbits. I turn and see that the rabbits are moving to circle around Connor. Three of them will be within striking distance in two steps. Connor is fighting two rabbits at once and doesn't see the three coming up behind him. I unsling my rifle and start firing as I run towards him. "Connor, get down!" He drops to the ground and I stop and sweep my fire left to right taking down the twenty or so rabbits closest to him. "Get up and move!" He jumps to his feet and sprints past me as I release the empty magazine and slam a fresh one home.

The rest of the rabbits are slowly making their way towards us. The ones I shot are blocking the way and the others are having to go around them. It's holding them up, but not by much. I move closer to Angel so I won't have to shout as loud. "How do you want to handle this, Angel? Spike's down and Buffy might as well be. We can't let Connor get killed, so it's just you and me against…. that." I nod my head toward the dozens of roaring rabbits heading our direction.

Someone taps me politely on the shoulder. I turn to see a mess of white hair flowing around Willow's head as her silver eyes glare at me. "Hi, Travis, I'm Willow, awesomely powerful witch." She backs up and stands looking up at the sky as a bubble of blue electricity forms around her then she turns and walks slowly toward the rabbits. The bubble grows as she gets closer. She raises her arm and a bolt of electricity flashes toward the closest rabbit. It doesn't just explode; it vaporizes into a cloud of fine dust.

My jaw drops. "Holy shit!"

Angel laughs, "Yeah, and you pissed her off." He steps up next to me and claps me on the back. "Well, it was nice knowing you."

I stare at him. He can't be serious. Willow wouldn't kill me, would she? I glance over at her and flinch. Yeah, sweet little Willow who's currently vaporizing huge rabbits with a wave of her hand. "She's not gonna kill me, is she?"

Angel smirks, "I'm not sure, but the last guy that pissed her off, she skinned. Alive."

My _Oh shit, I'm gonna die_ face must be very amusing because Angel is laughing again.

Spike chuckles and slurs out, "Sorry to see you go, Travis."

He's blinking and trying to sit up but Buffy won't let him go. "Just stay still, Spike. Willow's got it."

Connor walks up next to us, "Shouldn't we be worried about making even more rabbits? Especially with Willow blowing them into little bits?"

I look over at Willow who's making quite a dent in the rabbit population. I figure she's blown up close to thirty, but there seems to be an endless supply lumbering through the grass toward her. They get close and she blows them up. You'd think they'd figure it out.

Angel shakes his head, "I don't think so. Look at the first two we killed. They're still just laying there. Usually by now they'd have new heads and be trying to get back up." He points to the puddle of slime slowly sinking into the ground. "And none of them have ever done **that**." He nods toward the line of rabbits, "All of those are just parts of the original. I think we just need to kill the rest of them and the evil will be completely dead."

I step toward Willow and raise my rifle. "Alright. I'm gonna help Willow take down the rest of these things so we can get Spike out of here. He's looking even deader than usual."

Spike smirks and raises his hand just enough to give me the two finger salute, "Bite me, mate."

I smile as I step forward and start firing. Between Willow and I it only takes another fifteen minutes to take down the last of the rabbits. She blows up the last one then turns to face me with her eyes blazing silver.

The sudden silence is deafening as I sling my rifle and back away from her holding up my hands, "I'm sorry, Willow. Um…. I didn't mean to offend you. Please don't kill me."

She raises her hands toward me as she tilts her head and gives me a sad look. I stand quietly and wait for the blast. She takes a deep breath and... bursts into giggles. The electricity dissipates and her eyes slowly shift back to emerald green. "I'm not gonna kill you, Travis, but you should've seen the look on your face!"

I drop my hands and just gape at her. "What is it with you people and threatening to kill me?" I start walking back toward Angel with my hand over my heart. "You guys are gonna give me a heart attack. Is that covered under my health plan, Angel?"

He laughs, "Yeah, it is."

Spike slurs, "Better than bloody Blue Cross."

Connor says, "Hey, the rabbits are doing something."

Just as Connor speaks, Willow shouts, "Ewww!" and jumps sideways. Her foot is covered in slime. The whole mess of bullet riddled and beheaded rabbits have turned into huge steaming slime puddles.

Buffy looks up from where she's had her face buried in Spike's neck, "So is that it? Are we done?"

Angel turns to look at her, "I think so. Look at the scythe. It's glowing."

The scythe is surrounded in a bubble of blue light and the slime it's laying in is starting to sizzle and smoke. Suddenly beams of light fly out of the bubble and connect with the puddles all over the battlefield. Willow yelps and kicks her shoe off when the slime on it starts burning. The sizzling noise sounds like we're grilling a million steaks and the smell is horrible. Clouds of acrid smoke roll off the puddles of slime, making my eyes water. I pull my shirt up over my nose, but it doesn't help and I'm having trouble breathing.

Angel steps in front of Spike then reaches down and hoists him up across his shoulders, wrapping his arm around one of Spike's legs and gripping his arm to hold him in place. "Let's get away from this smoke."

I cough and rub at my eyes, "Yeah. This stuff is worse than tear gas."

We walk about thirty feet then stop and watch until the rabbit slime is completely burned off. There's no flames that I can see, but it stinks like burning plastic and tires and the whole area looks like the aftermath of a grass fire. Buffy suddenly moves toward the blackened grass and Angel snags her arm, "What are you doing?"

"Gonna get my scythe. Dawn needs it to get us back." She steps carefully, trying not to touch any of the burnt grass, but the scythe is right in the middle of a large patch and she can't reach it. She backs up several steps then sprints forward and launches herself into a cartwheel at the edge of the burnt patch. Her hand shoots down and snags the scythe and she flips over and lands lightly on the other side. She turns to face us with a smile on her face and says, "Got it. Let's go."

Willow looks in the direction Xander and Dawn went with the kids. "How are we gonna find them? Their path through the grass is gone now."

Angel lifts his head and sniffs loudly. "I can't pick up their scents over the stench of burnt rabbit."

We're all staring off into the distance when a small beam of blue light snakes out from the scythe and floats over the grass. Buffy looks down at it, "What the hell?"

Spike lifts his head and mumbles, "Bug 'as the talisman. I gave it to 'im to wear 'cause I've got Red's mojo crystal. The light will lead us to 'im."

Buffy nods then takes off at a fast jog following the light through the grass. We all fall in behind her when Willow stumbles and yelps, "Hey, slow down! Shoeless girl over here." She yelps again when Connor sheaths his sword and scoops her up bridal style then jogs through the grass after Buffy.

After jogging through the grass for close to ten minutes, Spike raises his head and mutters, "Oi, Peaches, ya might want to stop bouncin' me so much or I'm gonna lose my lunch all over your spiffy coat."

Angel skids to a halt and quickly slides Spike off his shoulders then holds him up at arm's length. "You'd better not. This is Armani."

Spike snorts, "What kind of git wears Armani to a demon fight?"

Angel shrugs, "I always wear Armani."

Buffy sits down in the grass and holds her arms out. "Hand him to me, Angel."

Angel lowers Spike onto Buffy's lap and he grumbles, "Cor, m' not some infant needs coddlin', Slayer."

Buffy smiles sweetly, "Spike?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut it."

Spike smiles then leans over into the grass and pukes up more blood. Buffy and Willow both wrinkle their noses and say "Ewww!" at the same time and Buffy starts sliding her and Spike away from the mess. "God, that stinks!"

Spike chuckles, "Try drinkin' it, pet. Believe me, the taste is worse."

Willow kneels down next to Spike and places her hand on his forehead. "How are you feeling? You're still kind of warm, so I guess the potion worked, huh?"

He nods, "Feel like shite, Red, but least I'm not dust. Thanks for that. Can still feel that soddin' demon blood in me, though. Need to feed soon. Gettin' weaker and I just lost the blood Angel gave me."

I squat down in front of Spike. "You were unconscious when Angel gave you his blood. How did you know?"

"Could taste it when I woke up. You never forget the taste of Sire's blood." He smirks at Buffy, "Or Slayer blood."

Buffy holds her forearm up to his mouth and says, "Drink." He looks at her and she whispers, "I'm sure, Spike. You need it more than I do right now." He nods and slides into gameface then sinks his fangs into her arm. He only takes a few mouthfuls then licks the wound closed and says, "Ta, luv. Feel a bit better."

Angel asks, "Can you walk?"

He shakes his head, "Can't actually feel my legs right now…. So…. no."

Buffy holds the scythe up to Angel, "Here, take this. Find the kids and bring them back here."

Angel takes the scythe and sprints off through the grass following the beam of light. I watch him go then ask, "How is he going to find us again? The grass trail disappears almost as soon as he's gone through it."

Spike murmurs right before he passes out again, "He'll follow 'is own scent trail 'til he smells us, mate ."

"Oh, right."


	43. Ch 43 Burning Lungs

Chapter 43 – Burning Lungs

(Bug POV)

"Da!" The twins launch themselves at the dark figure jogging through the grass toward us. He raises my Mum's scythe just before Liam can gut himself on it then stumbles into the small clearing with the twins wrapped around his middle. He's not breathing at all even though he just got done running. My Dad would be panting. He breathes all the time. Or…. he used to.

I walk over to stand in front of Angel and I'm about to open my mouth to ask him if my Dad died quick and was he in much pain when he smiles at me and says, "He's alive, William. Sick, but alive…. well…. as alive as he gets. Everyone made it." I rush forward and wrap my arms around him and Lillian. He drops the scythe to the ground next to us and squeezes us all in a crushing hug. We all let go and he walks toward Dawn.

Dawn looks up from where's she's kneeling next to Xander. "Where is everyone?"

Angel nods back over his shoulder, "A little ways off. Spike was having trouble, so we had to stop. I came ahead to get you." He looks at Xander lying on the ground and asks, "What happened?"

Dawn growls, "A rabbit happened. We stopped here and were just sitting and waiting when one of the rabbits suddenly appeared over there." She nods at a slime puddle on the other side of the clearing. "Xander killed it, but it sliced him up pretty bad. I've gotten the bleeding to stop, but we need to get him out of here."

"Can we move him?"

Dawn shakes her head. "I wouldn't. The gashes are really deep across his stomach and I'm afraid they'll start bleeding again."

Angel kneels down next to Xander and tilts his head. He stands and looks from Xander to the grass. "Wish we had some way to signal them. It'll take too long for me to go get them and bring them here. Xander's fading."

Dawn says, "I can do that." She looks up at the sky and beams of green light shoot out of her eyes and into the sky like a searchlight. Ok, that's weird.

I smell... burning…. something. I look around trying to find where it's coming from and see smoke rising from the puddle of rabbit. There's a beam of blue light coming from the scythe that's burning up the slime. "Uh, Angel? The rabbit slime is burning."

XXXXX

XXXXX

(Travis POV)

Angel's been gone for a while. Wonder if he's found them yet? Spike's still passed out but Buffy said she can still feel him, so I guess he's ok. I stand and start pacing around looking out over the grass. I look in the direction Angel went hoping to see something and I do, just not what I was expecting. "Hey! Look over there! What is that?"

Everyone looks where I'm pointing and then it hits me. It's the same kind of light Dawn used to unlock the door to her apartment. "It's Dawn!"

Buffy gets to her feet and hauls Spike up with her. "Yes, and she wouldn't do that unless something was wrong. We need to move. Now."

She slings Spike over her shoulder and takes off at a dead run toward the green beams of light spearing the sky. Connor scoops Willow up and takes off after her and it's all I can do to keep up with them.

XXXXX

XXXXX

(Bug POV)

Angel takes off running at vampire speed through the grass and is gone for a few minutes. He nods back over his shoulder when he jogs back into the clearing, "They're on the way. Dawn, lay down so you're touching Xander and I'll get the scythe. Kids, get set around Dawn. As soon as the others get here we're leaving."

Dawn lies down so Xander's head is wedged between her head and shoulder, still keeping her eyes pointed at the sky. The three of us sit down cross-legged next to Dawn's feet and wrap a hand around her lower leg. I raise my head and look at Angel. He's standing next to the puddle waiting for the slime to burn all the way up, I guess. Finally, the light from the scythe goes out and he reaches down and scoops it up.

Something feels warm on my chest. I look down at the talisman my Dad gave me and it's glowing through my shirt. I pull it out and a beam of light flows from it and connects with my Mum's weapon. Angel blinks as the weapon lights up again in his hands then follows the light coming from it and looks at me. He shakes his head and mutters, "It wasn't tracking William. It was tracking the rabbit." He hands the scythe to Dawn and turns to look back through the grass.

I lift my head up and stare at the sky. Where'd all those clouds come from? I could've sworn there weren't any a little bit ago. I nudge Lill, "Hey, were there clouds before?"

She looks up and shakes her head, "No, I don't think so." Suddenly there's a huge streak of lightning and a loud crack of thunder. I turn around as a strong wind blows my hair around my head. The grass is blowing around and Angel's having a hard time staying in one place. I look up again just as another lightning streak arcs across the sky. The ground starts shaking as the thunder rumbles.

XXXXX

XXXXX

(Travis POV)

Buffy stops and eases Spike down to the ground then stands there panting and holding her side. Connor stops next to her and lowers Willow to her feet as they wait for me to catch up. My blood is pumping loudly in my ears and my lungs are burning and I keep seeing flashes of light, but it's probably because I'm running harder than I ever have. I'm not too far behind them though, which is good, right? I skid to a halt and bend over propping my hands on my knees as I try to catch my breath.

I'm almost able to keep up with super-humans. True, they're each carrying another person, and Spike's gotta go what, 170, 175? Buffy's a tiny little thing but she lifts him up like it's nothing. And Connor's got Willow and she's what... Woah. Not going there. Last thing I need is a massively powerful witch pissed at me because I guessed her weight wrong. She may be a witch, but she's a woman first. But hey, bright side, I'm almost able to keep up. Guess all that running I did in the Army is paying off now.

I see another flash of light and hear a loud clap of thunder as the ground shakes violently and knocks me to my knees. Buffy drops down next to Spike and Connor and Willow clutch each other and manage to stay upright.

"What the hell was that?" I look up at the sky and notice the clouds.

Buffy follows my gaze, "I thought this place didn't have weather. Where'd all the clouds and wind come from?"

"You guys did notice the lightning, didn't you? I'm not losing my mind?" They nod as they stare at the sky. Good. I'm not crazy. Good to know. I wasn't sure because of the black spots swirling across my vision. Thought I might be seeing things. The ground shakes again and a large crack zigzags through the dirt a few feet from us.

"What the hell is happening?"

Willow furrows her brow and looks around. "If I had to guess, I'd say that we did it. The Great Evil is dead."

Buffy looks at her, "And that explains this…. how?" She waves her arms around at the lightning and wind and points to the crack in the ground.

"The demon that constructed this world is dead, so now this world is falling apart." She eyes the crack nervously, "We should go."

Buffy hoists Spike up over her shoulder again and takes off. Connor grabs Willow and follows her and I fill my burning lungs and do my best to keep up.

XXXXX

XXXXX

(Bug POV)

The ground is shaking again. I look over and watch a huge crack run through the ground not five feet from me. I shout over the wind, "Angel? Are they close?"

He turns to me then nods and shouts back. "I can't smell them anymore because of the wind, but last time I could, they weren't very far out. They should be here in a few minutes."

Just as he finishes shouting, Mum bursts into the clearing carrying Dad over her shoulder. He's bouncing around like a rag doll and looks deader than I've ever seen him. She runs over next to me and drops to the ground moving Dad to lie across our laps. His head lolls on my leg as she takes his arm and wedges it between Dawn's feet. I slip my arm under his head and cradle him closer to me as Mum settles his legs across her own then looks back the way she came.

Connor jogs into the clearing carrying Willow. He stops and sets her on her feet then holds her arm until she's steady. She turns around and sees Xander lying on the ground with his shirt shredded and his belly covered with my bloody t-shirt. She wails and runs forward then drops to her knees beside his head. "Xan! Xan! What happened?"

Dawn looks up at her and shouts, "Later, Wills! We gotta go! Grab hold of me!" Willow reaches her hand out and grasps Dawn's shoulder then leans forward and buries her face in Xander's chest.

Angel shouts to Connor, "Where's Travis?"

Connor nods back toward the grass. "He was right behind us. He's having a hard time keeping up."

Angel points to Dawn and yells, "Get set. I'll get him." He takes off at a dead run back through the grass.

Connor drops to his knees next to Willow at Dawn's head just as the ground suddenly heaves up and drops down, throwing us all over. Mum and I land flat on our backs with Dad sprawled over us and our heads hanging over the edge of the crack in the ground. The twins are in a tangled heap about six feet away from Dawn. Connor and Willow were knocked over backwards and are laying there looking at the clouds swirling in the sky.

Dawn sits up and locates Xander who didn't really move very much then lies down next to him again and we all move back to where we were. Mum is helping me drag Dad back over to Dawn when Angel runs into the clearing with Travis slung over his shoulder. He leaps over us and lands on the other side of Dawn then spins and drops to his knees. He slides Travis gently to the ground and moves his hand so it's touching Dawn's leg. Travis looks like he's about ready to pass out. He's sucking in huge gulps of air and his face is really red. Angel puts his hand on Dawn's leg next to Travis' hand and shouts, "Everybody touching Dawn?"

I wrap my hand tighter around her ankle and make sure Dad's arm is wedged tight between her feet. Mum wraps her hand above mine on Dawn's leg and the twins wrap their hands around her other leg. Connor wraps his hand around her upper arm and Willow pushes Xander's head against her shoulder with one hand and clamps onto her shoulder with the other.

A bolt of lightning strikes near where the rabbit slime burned up just as Dawn shouts, "Ok, let's go!"


	44. Ch 44 Just Take Us Both

Chapter 44 – Just Take Us Both

(Bug POV)

All the yelling is making my head hurt. Angel is yelling into his phone that we need a medical team down here right now. Willow is yelling at Xander to wake up and Dawn is yelling at her that he should stay knocked out or he'll be in too much pain. Mum is yelling at Willow that if she would just calm down she could heal Xander.

Dad moves a little bit then opens his eyes and looks up at me. "Bug?"

I grin down at him, "Yeah, Dad?"

He looks like he's struggling to keep his eyes open when he mumbles, "What's all the shoutin' about? Bloody loud enough to wake the dead."

I smile, "Well, it woke you up, didn't it?" He grins as his eyes drift shut again.

Travis is lying on the floor still trying to catch his breath and the twins and Connor are just sitting there staring at the commotion. Mel bursts through the doors followed by a bunch of people in scrubs. They wheel a gurney over to Xander and start to kneel next to him when Willow screams at them to get away.

She raises her arms and everyone flies back away from her and Xander. The gurney rolls across the room and crashes into the door then tips over with a loud crash. I slide across the floor and crash into the weapons chest with Dad clutched tight in my arms. Ow. That hurt. A lot. The twins are pushed back into the new weapons cabinet and Travis slides head-first into the wall with a loud thunk. Angel, Dawn, Connor and Mum fly into the wall and land on the floor in a tangled heap. Mel and the medical team slide back and crash into the gurney.

Dad's head is laying against my leg in an awkward position, so I move my arm to lift it back up and tense up when a bolt of pain shoots through my back. Ok. Ow. Again. I take a few shallow breaths and try to get it to relax.

Willow starts chanting and her hair turns completely white as a ball of shimmering energy surrounds her and Xander. She looks around the room to make sure nobody is trying to move toward her then holds her hands over Xander's belly. Streams of light come out of her fingers and move over his stomach. Even from across the room I can see the cuts on his stomach closing. She runs her hands over his whole body checking for other wounds. When she's satisfied there aren't any more, she stops chanting and the energy ball fades and disappears. She leans over and kisses his face then starts whispering in his ear. He moves a little and his eyes open then shut again. She sits up and looks around the room, but it doesn't look like she's actually seeing anything.

I hear the twins groaning as they pick themselves up. Liam stands and rubs his knee and Lill is holding her arm close to her body. "You ok, Lill?"

She looks at me and nods, "Yeah, just bumped my funny bone against the cabinet and my fingers are all tingly. Why is it called a funny bone anyway? Doesn't feel very funny." She walks over and sits down next to me then grabs my hand. "How's your Dad?"

"Passed out again. He woke up a little bit ago, but he didn't stay awake for very long. Mum told me he'll be ok after your Mum gets all the demon blood out of him."

Liam drops down on the other side of me and asks, "How's she gonna do that?"

I shrug. Ow. "Not sure. Cut him, I guess."

Liam looks at my Dad then back up at me. "Won't it kill him if he has no blood?"

Lill shakes her head, "No. Vampires can go months without feeding. Da did when he was at the bottom of the ocean. They just get real skinny and if they don't feed for long enough they go crazy."

Liam looks at her, "And how do you know that?"

Lillian glares at him, "Well, there's these squarish boxy things with words in them. The words tell you stuff, Li."

"Very funny, Lill. I don't need to read anything. You read enough for the lot of us."

"Then stop asking me how I know things!"

I can see this working up into a shoving match and seeing as how I'm sitting between them, Dad and I would get the worst of it. I let go of Lill's hand then hold it up and snap my fingers. "Hey, you guys can duke it out later. Hopefully when I'm not sitting between you."

Lillian smiles and says, "Sorry." as she grasps my hand again. Liam grumbles, "Whatever."

Mum, Angel, Dawn and Connor have managed to get untangled and are standing there rubbing their heads and elbows and whatever. Angel kneels down next to Travis and puts a hand on his neck. "He's out cold."

Dawn drops down next to him and looks up at Angel. "Is he hurt?"

"I don't smell any pain on him, but it might be because he's unconscious and can't feel it. I wouldn't move him, Dawn. Look at the way his head is twisted. He might have broken something. Wait for Mel" Dawn sits against the wall near Travis' head and gently brushes the hair back from his forehead then lightly rests her hand on the pulse point in his neck.

The medical team gets up and puts the gurney back on its wheels. Mel gets up and walks over to Xander. Angel takes her arm and nods at Travis, "You should take Travis first. Looks like his neck is broken."

Willow's head shoots up and she stares at Travis. "Oh Goddess! I broke his neck?" She crawls over and kneels next to Travis' feet and looks at him. "I did. Oh Goddess, I'm so sorry, Travis." She looks up at Dawn with tears rolling off her face and asks, "Is he dead?"

Dawn shakes her head, "No, his pulse is strong and he's breathing fine. It was an accident, Wils. I know you didn't mean for anyone to get hurt."

Mel puts her hand on Willow's shoulder and says quietly, "We need to get him loaded, Willow."

Willow looks up at her, "C… can you move him without h… hurting him more than I did already?"

"I don't know, but we're gonna try."

"I could p… put a binding spell on him and float him up to the gurney so he doesn't move."

Mel nods. "That would be helpful."

Willow closes her eyes then takes several deep breaths before she starts chanting. A soft white light surrounds Travis and he lifts off the floor and floats to the waiting gurney. Once he's settled on it, she stops chanting and asks, "Should I try to heal him?"

Mel shakes her head, "Let's get him to x-ray and see what the damage is first. Could you come with us and move him to the x-ray table?"

Willow nods then looks over at Xander. "What about Xan?"

Mel knees beside Xander and looks him over. "He looks like he's doing ok. You've healed the cuts, so he's not in any immediate danger. He lost a lot of blood, but his vitals are strong. Buffy, could you try to get some milk down him? I'll give him a transfusion later if he needs it."

Mum nods and pulls a bottle of milk out of the cooler. She kneels next to Xander's head and starts pouring little bits of milk into his mouth as Mel and the medical team wheel Travis out of the room with Willow and Dawn following close behind.

I shift a little and something grinds in my back. I wince and suck air in through my teeth in a loud hiss.

Dad's eyes fly open and he stares at me. "You hurt, Bug?"

"Yeah, a little, I guess. Xander got hurt and Willow just went all psycho and threw everyone across the room. My back hit the weapon's chest pretty hard but it's probably just a bruise. I'll be ok, Dad. How are you doing?"

He doesn't answer me right away, just looks at me then Mum's head flies up and she looks over at me. She puts the bottle of milk down and comes rushing over then pulls me forward gently and pulls my sweatshirt up to look at my back. Lillian and I both blush as I squeak, "Mum! What are you doing?"

"Your Dad told me you were hurt. I'm checking to see how bad." She runs her hand down my back and presses her fingers in a little. I wince and gasp when she pushes on my rib. "You've got a broken rib, Bug. Try not to move."

Dad growls, "Red broke his rib?"

He tries to sit up but Mum pushes him back down. "She didn't mean to, Spike. Xander almost died and everyone was crowding her. She was freaking out."

I nod, "It's really ok, Dad. She was just scared. Only reason I hit so hard is because I was hanging on to you and trying to keep you from getting hurt."

He reaches up and touches my face, "Bug, you should've let me go. I'd be fine. I don't want you gettin' hurt 'cause of me."

"Wouldn't you have done the same for me?"

"Well, yeah, but I'm a vampire, Bug. It takes a lot to hurt me."

"And I'm the son of a Master Vampire and The Slayer. It takes a lot to hurt me, too. As hard as I hit, it probably would have crushed a normal person."

"Still, Bug..."

"No, Dad. I was keeping an eye on you until Xander was sorted. I'm not gonna let you go. Besides, I'll heal. I'll be fine."

He grins at me. "You're as stubborn as your Mum, you know that?"

Mum smacks his arm then says, "I'm gonna go get someone over here to take care of you two." She looks at the twins and asks, "Are you guys ok?"

They both nod and Lillian says, "We're fine."

Dad looks up at me. "What happened to Harris?"

"A rabbit attacked us. Dawn and Xander cut it up pretty bad, but when Xander went in to cut off its head, it swiped at his blind side and cut up his stomach. He was bleeding a lot, but Dawn used my t-shirt to get it to stop."

"Harris killed a rabbit? Huh. Knew he had it in 'im."

"Yeah, him and Dawn were pretty cool to watch. They're both really good with a sword, Dad, you should have seen them! That's what I want to learn first when you start training me. It freaked us all out when the rabbit turned to slime, then when Angel showed up, Mum's weapon burned up the slime and man did it stink! Then the thunder and lightning and earthquakes started."

"Earthquakes?"

"Yeah. A huge crack opened up right near where we were sitting and Mum and I almost fell into it when the ground bucked us off. Then a bolt of lightning hit right where the rabbit slime was and made everyone's hair stand up, well, except for Angel's. His didn't move."

Dad bursts out laughing as two nurses walk in with another gurney and roll it over to us. "Mr. Spike, we're going to load you first then we'll come back for William."

Dad shakes his head, "Take Bug first. I'll keep a bit longer."

I smile up at the nurses, "Just take us both or we'll argue about it for the rest of the day."


	45. Ch 45 Red Uniform Guy

Chapter 45 – Red Uniform Guy

(Spike POV)

Travis stirs and slowly opens his eyes then yelps and squeezes them shut again. "Not funny, Spike."

I laugh and leash the demon, "Yeah, it is."

He opens his eyes and looks around. "What happened?"

"You got your head slammed into a wall. Broke your neck."

He reaches up and feels his neck then turns his head back and forth a few times. "I don't have a brace on and my neck doesn't hurt. How long have I been out? "

"'Bout three days. It's healed now. Mel gave you some of Buffy's milk."

He tilts his head at me, "Excuse me?"

"Buffy's breast milk. Oh right…. you don't know about that. Um, Buffy's milk heals. Quickly. Mel said the way your neck was broken you probably would've been paralyzed."

He grins at me, "Oookaay. I'm gonna just let that one go for now because I'm pretty sure my brain isn't operating at full capacity yet, but you're gonna have to explain that to me later."

I laugh as I flop down in a chair and prop my feet up on the edge of the bed. "Will do."

He raises his head off the pillow and looks around the room. "Where's Dawn? Is she hurt?"

"No, she went to get somethin' to eat. She's been here with you the whole time. Told her I'd keep watch for a bit."

He raises up and props himself up on one elbow, "How'd my neck get broken? Last thing I remember is laying on the training room floor listening to everyone hollering and trying not to pass out while I got my breath back."

"Harris got sliced up by a rabbit and Red went a little crackers and threw everyone back. You slid into the wall head-first."

"Willow broke my neck?"

I nod, "Well…. not intentionally. She was blinkered 'cause everyone was crowdin' 'er and Harris was dyin' and she kind of snapped. She feels horrible about it and she's been here several times to apologize, but you were still out. Hope you like cookies."

He gapes at me, "Cookies?"

I chuckle, "Yeah. When Red wants to make amends, she bakes cookies."

He smiles, "Oh. Is Xander ok?"

"Yeah, Red closed the cuts and Buffy's milk took care of the rest. He's fine."

He looks me up and down. "You look a lot better than the last time I saw you. Did they drain you like Angel was talking about?"

I nod, "Yeah. Laid me out on an autopsy table and sliced open all the major arteries then let me bleed out. Mel fed me some of Buffy's milk to heal the cuts and they filled me up with a mix of Sire's blood and Slayer blood. I feel bloody wonderful. That was three days ago and I'm still buzzin' off it."

"Anybody else get hurt?"

"Yeah, Bug crashed into the weapons chest and broke a rib when Red pushed us back. Bit of milk fixed him right up. He's with the twins right now playin' video games and munchin' on the three dozen cookies Red brought over this mornin'."

His eyes get wide. "Three dozen?"

I chuckle, "Yeah. Today. She brought two dozen yesterday. And that's just for a broken rib. You had a broken neck, so expect to have cookies for a while."

"Think she'll make me some chocolate chip? Those are my favorite."

"I'm sure she'll make whatever you want and you'll be bloody sick of cookies by the time she's done, although I don't know how she's findin' the time with carin' for the triplets and fussin' after Harris."

Travis tilts his head, "I thought you said Xander was fine."

I laugh, "He is, but Red's been keepin' him layed up in bed and waitin' on 'im hand and foot for the last three days. I don't think the whelp's been arguing much 'bout it, either."

He smiles, "So, we're done? Evil vanquished? Prophecy over?"

I laugh, "Yeah. Niblet tried to get back to bunny hell but it didn't work, so it's over. Evil bunnies are no more."

"Travis! You're awake!" Dawn squeals as she walks through the door. She pushes him back then jumps up on the bed and straddles him, pulling him into a long kiss. "How are you feeling?"

He grins up at her, "I'm better now. That was a pretty neat trick with the green light beams. How'd you do it?"

She looks at the ceiling and beams of green light flow from her eyes. She closes her eyes and looks back down at Travis then chuckles at the look on his face.

"Do they burn or anything? Like Cyclops from X-Men?"

She laughs, "No. My Key powers can't be used to harm anyone, but I'm pretty deadly with a sword. Spike trained me."

He smiles, "Remind me not to piss you off. You're about the only one who **hasn't** threatened to kill me." He looks at me and grins, "Is that like a hobby with you guys? Take turns scaring the crap out of the humans? You gonna attack Xander next?"

I laugh, "No, I can't scare Harris anymore. He knows I won't kill 'im, 'sides, he's not completely human."

Travis' eyes go wide. "He's not?"

Dawn shakes her head, "Nope. He was possessed by a primal hyena spirit when he was in high school and it never completely left him."

Travis chuckles, "Hyena. Huh. So are there any actual humans in your group or do all of you have some special power?"

I tilt my head, thinking. "Yeah. Giles, Wes and Melinda are human. Oh, Fred and Gunn, too."

Dawn looks at me, "Is Mel still fully human since she's mated to Angel?"

My brow furrows, "Well, she's immortal now, but other than that, she's still human."

Travis smirks, "Can Angel and Mel talk to each other in their heads, too?"

I chuckle, "No. Because Mel's human, they don't have that. Buffy and I can 'cause she's got a bit of demon in her, being the Slayer."

Travis grins, "Right. So, when can I get out of here? Spencer's probably foaming at the mouth to put me on report now that I'm done helping Angel and haven't reported for duty for three days."

I frown, "Yeah…. about that. Uh…. got some bad news for ya, mate. You've been sacked from the grunt squad."

"I'm fired? That's gotta be a record. Two weeks on the job. Great. What am I supposed to do now?"

Dawn meets my eyes and we both grin. Travis looks at both of us and scowls, "Why are you smiling? I'm unemployed and I'm also homeless since I was camped out in the squad room."

I chuckle. "You're not unemployed or homeless, Travis."

His eyes get wide. "I'm not?"

Dawn shakes her head. "Nope, I'm gonna stay on with the firm for a while and you can stay with me."

I smile, "And you've been permanently reassigned."

Travis tilts his head at me with a wary look. "To where?"

Dawn smiles, "You'll be working with Angel and Spike from now on, if that's ok with you."

"Doing what? Another prophecy?"

She shakes her head, "No…. not that we know of anyway. You'll just be patrolling and taking out demons and vamps and whatever. Kinda like what Special Ops does, but you get to do research and you don't have to guard the building or anything."

I snort, "Plus whatever _special assignments_ Peaches comes up with."

"Special assignments?"

"Yeah. Things like escortin' visitin' employees from other branches, being backup muscle at contract negotiations and playin' courier for sensitive contracts or artifacts. I even had to entertain the children of a demon from another dimension for a week while it negotiated with Angel."

He laughs, "Sounds like fun."

I frown, "It wasn't. They bit. A lot."

Travis grins and pulls Dawn down for a kiss. "Yeah, I think I can live with that, as long as I'm not like the red uniform guy on Star Trek."

I tilt my head in confusion, "What?"

He smiles, "You know, the crew member in the red uniform that's always the first to die on their missions."

I burst out laughing, "No, you're not the red uniform bloke and you really should get together with Harris. I can't tell you how many episodes of Star Trek that wanker made me watch when I was tied to that chair in his basement."

Travis chuckles, "Ok, that's another thing you're gonna have to tell me about later, but right now I want to get out of here."

Dawn leans down and whispers in his ear, "Mel will be back in a little while, but I'll keep you occupied 'til then." She nibbles on his earlobe then kisses a trail down his neck. He starts to moan when her hand slips under the sheet and heads south.

I get to my feet. "Right then. Catch you later, Travis. Looks like you're in good hands or you're about to be. See you later, Niblet."

Dawn raises her head and smiles at me. "Bye, Spike." She plants her lips on Travis and he raises his arm to wave at me then wraps it around Dawn and pulls her close. I pull the curtain around the bed and close the door on my way out then tell the nurse not to disturb him for a while.

She looks at me sharply and asks, "Why?"

"Cause he's got his bird in there with 'im and they're... busy. So leave 'em alone."

She shakes her head at me, "Sir, I simply can't allow this." She starts toward the door and I snag her arm and spin her to face me.

"Leave. Them. Alone."

She screws her face up into a scowl and snarks, "On whose authority? Who exactly are you and why should I do anything you say?"

I look at the ceiling and take a few deep breaths trying to keep the demon under control. I'm still amped up on Slayer and Sire blood and the demon is itching for a fight. Why am I always saddled with the clueless gits? I look back down at her and let my eyes flash amber as I snarl. "I'm the one who's tellin' you to leave 'em alone. Now do as I say."

Mel walks up behind her. "Do what he says."

The nurse spins around and stammers, "But, this is a hospital…. not a…. motel! It's... unacceptable!"

Mel crosses her arms. "It's my hospital and I'm accepting it. Go get something to eat, I'll watch things until you get back." The nurse snags her purse from behind the desk and stomps angrily down the hall.

"Thanks, Mel. If she kept up, I was gonna have to show her the demon and Peaches gets shirty when I scare off his employees."

She shrugs, "She's new. I'll have to explain to her how things work around here. So I take it Travis is awake?"

"Yeah."

"How's he feeling?"

I grin. "He's good and he's about to feel a whole lot better."

"Good. I'll check in on him in a while and cut him loose. Is Will still staying over with the twins tonight?"

I nod. "Yeah, Buffy's got us set up to have a movie night. Hopefully she doesn't pick anythin' too girly or with vampires or fightin'."

Mel laughs, "Ok, I get the not too girly thing, but vamps and fighting? Thought they'd be right up your alley."

I grin, "Not really. We spend the whole thing yellin' at the telly. She finds fault with the fightin' moves and I'm yellin' about all the shite humans believe about vamps."

She laughs again, "Ok, I get it. Well, go have fun watching your hopefully not girly, no fighting or vampires movie."

"Thanks, Mel. See you tomorrow."


	46. Ch 46 Movie Night

Chapter 46 – Movie Night

(Spike POV)

* _Better hurry up, Spike. I'm putting the movie in._ *

* _I'm hurryin', luv. What're we watchin'?_ *

* _Don't know. There's nothing written on it. Found it. I'm pushing play right now._ *

* _I'm in the lift, be there in a few. Where'd you find it?_ *

* _In the couch. It was buried in the….. OH MY GOD!_ *

I frantically dig through the pockets of my duster, finding all manner of things but the one thing I'm hoping is there. The disk is gone. It must have fallen out of my coat. Oh bugger.

I sprint down the hall and burst through the door to see Buffy sitting wide-eyed on the couch with one hand clapped over her mouth. I quickly close the door then sit uneasily on the couch next to her and gently touch her arm. "Buffy, pet, now don't get angry. Uh…. there were security cameras in the conference room. I was gonna tell you, just wanted to wait 'til all the prophecy mess was sorted, yeah?"

Her hand drops away from her mouth which is still hanging open in shock then she turns and punches me in the chest. Hard. "OH MY GOD! How did you get it? Who else has seen this?"

Ow. I scoot back a little. "Angel gave it to me. This is the only copy, I swear."

I didn't think it was possible for her eyes to get any wider. I was wrong. "ANGEL! OH MY GOD!" She punches me again, knocking the air right out of my lungs.

I draw in a ragged breath and cough out, "H…he didn't w…watch it, Buffy. H…had it erased f...from the system a...after the agents t...told him about it."

She raises her fist again and I flinch back and grab it before it can fly. Her breath hitches as she drops her hand and I can smell the tears getting ready to fall when she whimpers in a small voice, "Agents? As in more than one? Which ones? Oh my God, I can never show my face outside this apartment again!"

I gently wrap my arms around her and pull her into my lap then lightly stroke her hair. "Buffy, it's ok. There were only two and they don't remember. Angel had their memories altered. It's sorted, pet. Nothin' to worry about."

She looks at me, embarrassment and anger flitting across her features. "You're sure. Nobody knows about this besides us and Angel? And he didn't see it?"

I press my forehead to hers and whisper. "I'm sure, pet. He told me he didn't watch it, an' I believe 'im. You've got nothin' to be embarrassed about, luv." I glance at the screen where Buffy is slowly hiking up her skirt and swallow as my jeans get suddenly tighter. "Really, luv. Nothin' at all to be embarrassed about."

Buffy turns to look at the screen then gasps. She stares at it for a moment as her breathing quickens and I start to smell her arousal. She wiggles against me and I moan as my eyes fall shut. She turns to face me then slips my duster off my shoulders and yanks my shirt over my head and pulls me to her, kissing me hard. She pulls back when breathing becomes an issue and looks at the screen for a bit then says quietly, "I like watching us. Maybe we should get our own camera."

My eyes widen and I leer at her, "Didn't know you were so kinky, Slayer. You've been holdin' out on me."

She pushes me back against the arm of the couch then leans down and takes my nipple in her mouth as she quickly pops the buttons of my jeans then lifts her head and smirks at me, "Now I'm just holding you."

She scoots off my lap and drops to her knees on the floor in front of me then dips her head and licks up my shaft as I groan. "God, you're an amazin' woman, Summers."

She beams a smile at me and says, "Damn right." then starts doing things that make my eyes roll up in bliss.

_-Fin-_

_**XXXX**  
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_**I've got a general idea for a sequel to this story, but it might be a while before I get anything out. I'm currently working on two other stories and have an idea for a third, so I need to get those out of my brain before I start working on this one. It's already a confused and jumbled mess up there. Don't want to add to it.**_

_**If there's something you'd like to see in the sequel or something you'd love to have our characters doing, please let me know.**_

_**I hope you enjoyed reading this and thanks to everyone who reviewed. You guys rock!**_


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